The University of Ibadan (UI), located in Oyo State, has been ranked as Nigeria’s top university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026. Published on Thursday via THE’s official website, the ranking places UI in the 801–1000 bracket globally, making it the highest-ranked Nigerian university in this year’s edition. This marks a return to the top spot for UI, which last held the title in 2023.
The 2026 rankings evaluated 2,191 universities from 115 countries, using 18 performance indicators grouped into five key areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook. UI moved up from fourth place in 2025 to reclaim the top position, displacing Covenant University (CU), which led the Nigerian pack in both 2024 and 2025.
In the 2026 rankings, Nigeria’s top universities include the University of Ibadan (801–1000), the University of Lagos (UNILAG) also in the 801–1000 bracket, Bayero University Kano (BUK) in the 1001–1200 range, Covenant University (CU) in the 1001–1200 range, and Landmark University also in the 1001–1200 category.
The 2026 edition reflects ongoing shifts in the global academic landscape. The ranking was informed by over 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million research publications, along with survey responses from more than 108,000 scholars worldwide.
In terms of institutional strengths, UNILAG scored highest among Nigerian universities in research quality, with a score of 66.7. BUK was recognised for its international outlook, the best in Nigeria. Covenant University led in industry engagement, highlighting its strong ties to the private sector.
Other Nigerian universities in the global rankings were placed in various bands. In the 1201–1500 band were Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In the 1501+ band, notable mentions include Babcock University, Delta State University Abraka, Ekiti State University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, University of Calabar, and the University of Port Harcourt.
In total, 51 Nigerian universities were featured in the 2026 rankings. However, only UI and UNILAG made it into the top 1000 globally. Fourteen universities were placed in the 1501+ category, while 27 institutions were unranked despite submitting data.
Full list of ranked Nigerian institutions
801–1000:
- University of Ibadan
- University of Lagos
1001–1200:
- Bayero University Kano
- Covenant University
- Landmark University
1201–1500:
- Ahmadu Bello University
- Federal University of Technology, Minna
- University of Ilorin
- University of Jos
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka
1501+:
- Babcock University
- Delta State University, Abraka
- Ekiti State University
- Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
- Federal University of Technology, Akure
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
- Lagos State University
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University
- Obafemi Awolowo University
- University of Benin
- University of Calabar
- University of Port Harcourt
Not Ranked:
- Admiralty University of Nigeria
- Akwa Ibom State University
- Al-Hikmah University
- Augustine University
- Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti
- Bauchi State University, Gadau
- Bayelsa Medical University
- Baze University
- Bells University of Technology
- Bowen University
- Evangel University, Akaeze
- Federal University of Lafia
- Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun
- Fountain University
- Godfrey Okoye University
- Igbinedion University, Okada
- Kaduna State University
- Lagos State University of Education
- Lagos State University of Science and Technology
- Lead City University
- Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria
- Nasarawa State University, Keffi
- Redeemer’s University
- Rivers State University
- Thomas Adewumi University
- University of Cross River State
- University of Delta
About the ranking
The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings is a globally recognised benchmark for academic excellence. It is compiled by an independent organisation that provides data-driven insights for the global higher education sector.
To qualify for inclusion, universities must teach undergraduate students, offer research across multiple disciplines, and have published at least 1,000 research papers between 2020 and 2024, with a minimum of 100 publications annually.
