Three Nigerian universities ranked among world's best

Three Nigerian universities have made it to the top 1,000 in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

The University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Covenant University are all in the 801, 1000 range in the latest rankings released by THE on Wednesday.

This is an improvement from the 2026 rankings, where only UI and UNILAG made the top 1,000. Covenant University, which was in the 1001, 1200 range last year, has now returned to the top 1,000 for 2027.

The number of Nigerian universities in the top 1,000 has changed over the years.

In the 2025 ranking, only Covenant University was in the top 1,000. In 2026, UI and UNILAG moved into the 801, 1000 range, while Covenant fell to the 1001, 1200 range.

Now, the 2027 results show three Nigerian universities in the top 1,000.

This year, the total number of Nigerian universities ranked by THE rose to 29, up from 24 last year.

Five universities are ranked for the first time: Osun State University, University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University, and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

Other Nigerian universities in this year’s rankings include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University, and the University of Ilorin, all in the 1001, 1200 range.

In the 1201, 1400 range, we have Babcock University, Osun State University, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The 1401, 1600 range has Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, University of Jos, and University of Maiduguri.

Federal University of Technology, Akure is the only Nigerian university in the 1601, 1800 range. The 1801, 2000 range includes Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Olabisi Onabanjo University, and University of Calabar.

The last seven Nigerian universities fall in the 2001+ range. They are Delta State University, Abraka; Ekiti State University; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Federal University Oye-Ekiti; Kwara State University; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; and University of Port Harcourt.

On the global stage, the University of Oxford has kept the number one spot for the 11th year in a row.

Following Oxford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is second. Princeton University and Stanford University are tied for third.

The 2027 ranking looked at 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories. This is an increase from 2,191 universities in 115 countries in the 2026 ranking.

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings evaluate universities on five main areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.

For the 2027 ranking, THE used 17 performance indicators to assess universities in these areas. Teaching makes up 29.5 percent of the overall score and looks at factors like teaching reputation and staff-to-student ratio.

The research environment accounts for 29 percent, based on research reputation and research productivity. Research quality carries the most weight at 30 percent, measuring citation impact and research influence.

International outlook is 7.5 percent, which measures international students and staff. Industry makes up the last four percent, based on industry income and patents connected to university research.

To qualify for ranking, universities must submit and approve their data. THE also uses outside data.

When some data is missing, THE uses estimates instead of giving a zero score. The indicators are standardized and combined to produce the final result.

According to THE, the eligibility criteria include having undergraduate teaching and at least 1,000 relevant research publications between 2021 and 2025, with a minimum of 100 publications in each year.