In a significant boost for Nigerian higher education, the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have been ranked among the top 1,000 universities in the world in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on Thursday.
Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, hailed the achievement as a step forward in Nigeria’s global academic reputation.
According to Okebukola, UI and UNILAG both fall within the 801–1,000 band globally, each achieving an overall score range of 35.5–38.9, marking a leap from the 2025 rankings in which only Covenant University made the top 1,000.
“This is an improvement over the 2025 league tables where only one Nigerian university, Covenant University, was ranked among the top 1,000 and the best in Nigeria,” he said in a statement from Abuja.
Okebukola explained that the Times Higher Education rankings are based on 18 performance indicators across five key pillars: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook. In 2026, THE assessed 2,191 institutions from 115 countries, drawing from over 18.7 million research publications and 174.9 million citations, as well as responses from more than 108,000 scholars globally.
Nigerian universities’ rankings breakdown:
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University of Ibadan (UI): Returned to top spot in Nigeria (previously held in 2023), climbing from 4th place in 2025.
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University of Lagos (UNILAG): Ranked second nationally and highest in research quality, scoring 66.7 in that category.
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Bayero University Kano, Covenant University, Landmark University: All placed within the 1,001–1,200 band (score range: 32.1–35.4).
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Ahmadu Bello University, FUT Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, UNN: Placed within the 1,201–1,500 band.
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14 other Nigerian universities were placed in the 1500+ category.
However, Okebukola noted a slight dip in the total number of Nigerian universities in the top 1,200, with only three making the cut in 2026 compared to four in 2025 — signalling a need for continued efforts toward improving institutional performance.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s strong showing in other THE ranking categories, such as the Impact Rankings, where Afe Babalola University continues to lead locally.
Global context
Globally, Oxford University retained its position as the number one university for the tenth consecutive year, followed by MIT, Princeton, Cambridge, Harvard, and Stanford. Notably, Harvard, which once held the top spot, dropped to fifth, largely due to Oxford’s continued dominance in research environment scores.
Okebukola emphasised that international rankings like THE are trusted by students, researchers, industry leaders, and governments and serve as benchmarks for institutional excellence and progress.
