Jan 29: The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), an institute of eminence, announced its decision to withdraw from participation in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The decision follows a comprehensive institutional review and reflects BITS Pilani’s commitment to transparency, methodological robustness, and verifiable benchmarking in higher education evaluation.
Accordingly, the institution will cease sharing the institutional and subject-level data required for inclusion in THE rankings from this cycle onward. As a result, BITS Pilani will not feature in forthcoming editions of the Times Higher Education rankings, including the World University Rankings, the Asia University Rankings, and the Rankings by Subject.
BITS Pilani believes global rankings can be useful as one of many benchmarking tools. At the same time, the Institute believes that evaluation frameworks must be credible, explainable, and independently verifiable given their expanding influence on student choice, academic partnerships, funding priorities, and public trust.
Several leading Indian institutions, including multiple IITs, have earlier opted out of THE rankings in pursuit of stronger standards of transparency and institutional confidence in ranking processes. BITS Pilani aligns with the broader principle that measurement systems must meet the standards expected of academic governance.
As one of India’s leading private institutions and an Institution of Eminence, BITS Pilani aims to contribute constructively to the national and global dialogue on responsible benchmarking in higher education.
BITS Pilani remains committed to global engagement through international collaborations, high-impact research, faculty and student mobility, and innovation-driven societal contributions.
BITS Pilani remains open to re-engaging with THE in the future should the framework evolve further toward greater transparency, consistency, and verifiability.