Bhubaneswar: KIIT-DU has secured the 6th position among all universities in India, across both government and private institutions, in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2026.
The university has also emerged as the top-ranked institution not only in Odisha but across the entire eastern region of India. In 2025, the University was ranked 8th best in the country.
Globally, KIIT has climbed to the 169th position in Asia, marking a steady and impressive rise from 196th in 2024 and 184th in 2025.
The THE Asia University Rankings 2026 assessed 929 universities from 36 countries based on rigorous performance indicators across five key areas: teaching (learning environment), research environment (volume, income and reputation), research quality (citation impact, strength, excellence and influence), international outlook (staff, students and research), and industry income (knowledge transfer and patents).
Founder of KIIT and KISS Dr Achyuta Samanta has hailed the ranking, stating that it demonstrates the sustained efforts and commitment of the faculty, staff and students towards achieving academic excellence. He said that KIIT’s emphasis on internationalisation and inno
vation has helped it build a world-class academic ecosystem, reinforcing its position as a leading centre of higher education in India and beyond.
Similarly, Centurion University of Technology and Management made it debut in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2026 at 94th position in the 601–800 band in Asia. “The Asia University Rankings represent a highly competitive and diverse academic landscape, bringing together long-established institutions alongside emerging models of higher education. Centurion University’s entry reflects its growing ability to demonstrate performance across multiple dimensions that define institutional quality at a regional scale,” a varsity release said.
It further noted that scores awarded under ‘Research Quality’ and ‘Industry’ highlighted a distinctive institutional strength at Centurion University, the integration of applied research with industry-linked learning. “Centurion University’s debut in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2026 marks a significant milestone in our journey towards academic excellence and global recognition. This achievement reflects our strong commitment to practice-led education, industry integration and impactful research. Our performance in research quality and industry engagement highlights the strength of our applied learning ecosystem that prepares students to be future-ready and socially responsible. We will continue to strengthen innovation, collaborations and academic excellence as we expand our impact globally,” said Vice-Chancellor, Centurion University, Supriya Pattanayak.