The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2025 have recently been unveiled, showcasing a comprehensive list of over 1,500 universities from 105 different higher education systems worldwide. QS, a prominent analytics company in the realm of higher education, annually assesses universities on the basis of scholarly distinction, reputation, and international diversity.

Leading the pack, the United States boasts 197 universities on the list, with the United Kingdom and mainland China following with 90 and 71 institutions, respectively. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) continues its reign at the pinnacle for the 13th consecutive year. Imperial College London has ascended four ranks to claim the runner-up spot, while the University of Oxford and Harvard University hold the third and fourth positions, respectively. Rounding out the top five is the University of Cambridge.

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In Nigeria, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos have earned spots in the rankings, both falling within the 1100-1200 range.

Top 10 Universities in QS World University Rankings 2025:

1. MIT, Cambridge, USA
2. Imperial College London, UK
3. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
4. Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
5. University of Cambridge, UK
6. Stanford University, Stanford, USA
7. ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
8. National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
9. UCL London, UK
10. California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, USA

African Universities in QS World University Rankings 2025:

1. University of Cape Town, South Africa (ranked #171)
2. University of Witwatersrand, South Africa (ranked #267)
3. Stellenbosch University, South Africa (ranked #296)
4. University of Johannesburg, South Africa (ranked #312)
5. Cairo University, Egypt (ranked #350)
6. University of Pretoria, South Africa (ranked #354)
7. The American University in Cairo, Egypt (ranked #410)
8. University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa (ranked #587)
9. Ain Shams University in Cairo (ASU, Cairo), Egypt (ranked #592)
10. Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (ranked #771–780)

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In 2023, the Centre for World University Rankings acknowledged the University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, University of Lagos, and Ahmadu Bello University as among the global elite. The University of Ibadan was the highest-ranked Nigerian university, coming in at 1,163rd worldwide. The University of Nigeria (UNN) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) were placed second and fourth in Nigeria, ranking 1,784th and 1,881st globally, while the University of Lagos (UNILAG) secured the third spot nationally and 1,875th worldwide.

As of April 2024, Covenant University was named the premier university in Nigeria for the second consecutive year by the Times Higher Education’s 2024 ratings, which featured 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions. Following closely were the University of Ibadan and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, as the second and third top universities in Nigeria, respectively.