Oyindamola Ogunbowale
The Nigerian university landscape has recorded a wider presence on the global stage, with 29 institutions featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The latest edition, released on Wednesday, placed Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos in the 801–1,000 global band, making them the highest-ranked Nigerian institutions in the ranking.
They were followed by Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin, which were placed in the 1,001–1,200 band. Babcock University, Osun State University and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, occupied the 1,201–1,400 band, while several other Nigerian institutions featured in lower global bands.
The 2027 ranking represents an increase from the 24 Nigerian universities featured in the 2026 edition, with five institutions making their debut.
They are Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
The ranking assessed 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories using 17 performance indicators covering teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
Among the Nigerian institutions, the University of Lagos recorded the highest research-quality score, while Bayero University led in international outlook and Covenant University recorded the highest industry score.
Nigeria also recorded the highest number of ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa, with its 29 institutions accounting for a significant portion of the region’s 69 ranked universities.
Globally, the University of Oxford retained the top position for the 11th consecutive year, while the University of Cape Town emerged as the highest-ranked university in sub-Saharan Africa at joint 147th position.
