He emphasised the need to understand the ranking process better.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti expressed disappointment and frustration with the QS World University Rankings 2025, which ranked the India's number one ranked engineering institute at 227th position globally. Despite significant efforts and achievements, IIT Madras saw only a marginal improvement from its previous ranking of 285.
Director Kamakoti termed the rankings as "thoroughly demotivating" and emphasised that the institution had expected a much better position, ideally between 150 and 200. He highlighted IIT Madras's numerous achievements, including: Running the largest sustainability school, unique sports admission program, successful startups like Hyperloop and Agnikul Space Tech that has had successful rocket launch. He also highlighted the Discovery Campus and overseas campus in Zanzibar initiatives and collaborations with the Tamil Nadu government as outreach.
Kamakoti questioned the ranking methodology, feeling that IIT Madras is being judged on criteria that don't align with its strengths and diversity. He emphasised the need to understand the ranking process better, saying, "We feel we are writing an exam out of syllabus."
IIT Bombay which ranks behind IIT Madras and stands No. 3 in India's NIRF ranking has significantly improved it's QS WORLD rankings from 149 to 118.
QS Rankings has responded to IIT Madras' concerns over its low ranking, stating that " the rankings reflect credible changes in institutional performance over time rather than an isolated one year snapshot".
Leigh Kamolins, director of Analytics and Evaluation told NDTV, "This year's result is indicative of the remarkable progress that IIT Madras is experiencing". He added "IIT Madras improved its rank by 58 positions, driven by citations per faculty, international student ratio and international faculty ratio". He claimed "Part of the strength of the QS rankings is the lack of high levels of volatility".