THE University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked institutions in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
The latest ranking, released on October 9, 2025, assessed 2,191 universities across 115 countries and territories, evaluating their performance across teaching, research, international outlook, and industry engagement.
The ranking placed both UI and UNILAG in the 801–1000 band, maintaining their standing among the top 1,000 research-intensive universities globally.
UI was named as the first top Nigerian university, having recorded an overall score range of 35.5–38.9. The university performed strongly in research quality with a pass mark of 63.5 per cent and international outlook (43.8 per cent).
UNILAG achieved the same overall band but performed better in research quality (66.7) and industry income (32.6).
The two universities were followed by Bayero University Kano, Covenant University, and Landmark University, which all appeared in the 1001–1200 category, with each scoring the same overall score of 32.1–35.4.
This means that both Covenant University and Landmark University maintained their reputation as the top-performing private universities in Nigeria.
Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, University of Jos and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka were placed in the 1201–1500 band, while several others, including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, Federal University of Technology Akure, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta and Lagos State University, appeared in the 1501+ category.
Universities such as Babcock, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology also appeared in the 1501+ band, while others, including Al-Hikmah University, Bells University of Technology, Federal University of Lafia and Igbinedion University, were listed as “reporters,” meaning they submitted data but did not meet the eligibility criteria for ranking.
Globally, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom retained the number one spot for a record tenth consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a tie between Princeton University and the University of Cambridge.
Sharing the fifth spot are Harvard University and Stanford University, both in the United States. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) ranked seventh, maintaining its place from the previous year, while Imperial College London in the United Kingdom climbed to eighth position.
The University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University, both in the United States, completed the top ten, ranking ninth and tenth, respectively.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are based on 18 performance indicators across five key areas: teaching (29.5 per cent), research environment (29 per cent), research quality (30 per cent), international outlook (7.5 per cent) and industry (4 per cent).
Data for the ranking were compiled using Elsevier’s Scopus database, analysing 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million academic outputs published between 2020 and 2024, the organisation said.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M