UI Reclaims Top Spot as Nigeria’s Best University in 2026 Times Higher Education Ranking

The University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, has reclaimed its position as Nigeria’s best university in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, moving up from fourth place in 2025 to lead the nation’s higher education sector once again.

The new ranking, released on Thursday via THE’s official website, places UI within the global range of 801–1,000, ahead of other top Nigerian universities including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and Covenant University (CU).

This recognition marks UI’s return to the top spot it last held in 2023, reaffirming its strong academic reputation and research influence.

THE evaluated 2,191 universities from 115 countries, using 18 performance indicators across five core areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.

The ranking also reflects a shift in the global higher education landscape, with over 174.9 million citations drawn from 18.7 million research publications, and insights from 108,000 scholars worldwide.

In the Nigerian context, UNILAG earned the highest score in research quality with 66.7 points, while BUK emerged as the best in international outlook. Covenant University retained the highest score in industry engagement, highlighting its strong link with private and corporate sectors.

A total of 51 Nigerian universities were featured in the 2026 rankings, though only UI and UNILAG made it to the 801–1,000 global band. BUK, CU, and Landmark University ranked between 1001–1200, while Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology, Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, appeared in the 1201–1500 category.

The full Nigerian standings in the 2026 THE World University Rankings are as follows:

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+ and Others:

• 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
  …and several others.

According to THE, universities are only ranked if they teach undergraduates, conduct multidisciplinary research, and publish at least 1,000 research papers between 2020 and 2024, with no fewer than 100 publications annually.

The 2026 edition of THE rankings reaffirms the University of Ibadan’s leadership in Nigerian academia and underscores the rising competitiveness of universities across the country in global education metrics.