Ask a higher education leader which states lead in university digital presence and you will hear Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
On Google, the September 2026 answer is: nearly all of them. We re-measured 194 Indian universities (90 private, 104 deemed). 178 of the 187 we could measure own their own name on Google (95.2%): their site ranks first, or the knowledge panel is theirs.
The state gap we reported in March does not hold in the new data. The gap that does hold has little to do with states.
Own-name search, state by state
In 7 of the 10 states with the most universities, 94% or more own their name.
Universities that own their name on Google, by state
Odisha’s 80% is 4 of 5 universities. With counts this small, one university moves a state’s rate by 20 points. Read the state view as a check on the national figure, not as a league table.
Where the gap is: questions that name no university
Students also search without a name, for example “best universities in {state}”. We ran 213 of those searches on Google. An AI Overview appeared on 41 of them (19.2%), and across all of them it named 7 of the 194 universities.
We also asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overview questions that named no university. 111 of 194 universities (57.2%) were named at least once. Private universities did better than deemed: 72.2% against 44.2%.
How many universities are found, by how the student asks
Owning your name protects the student who already knows you. The student still building a shortlist asks without your name, and that is where most universities go missing.
What this means for your university
If your state sits at or near 100%: own-name search is table stakes. Your peers own theirs too. The contest has moved to questions that name no university.
If your university does not own its name: fix that first. It is the cheapest search win there is: Organisation markup, one canonical domain, and a claimed Google Business Profile and knowledge panel.
Decision rule: search “best universities in [your state]” on Google, and ask ChatGPT and Gemini the same question. If your university is not in the answer, close that gap this admission cycle, wherever you are based.
Geographic reputation is not a digital strategy. In September 2026, the state you are in matters less than whether AI answers name you.
This is Part 9 of a 12-part series based on Thrivemattic’s 194-university study (September 2026 snapshot, v2). State figures: SERP Report. AI figures: AI Visibility Report.
Where does your university stand?
Google search, AI answers, admission pages and mobile speed across 194 private and deemed universities.
Read the full studyFor your own university’s view, Find Your University’s Digital Ranking gives each of the 194 a four-part grade: Google search, AI visibility, technical health and admission pages.
Find Your University’s Digital Ranking See how we work with universities
