Three Nigerian universities make top 1,000 in world universities ranking

Three Nigerian universities have been ranked among the world’s top 1,000 universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

The University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Covenant University were all placed in the 801–1000 band in the latest ranking released by THE on Wednesday.

The development represents an improvement from the 2026 ranking, when two Nigerian universities, UI and UNILAG made the top 1,000. Covenant University, which had been ranked in the 1001–1200 band in 2026, returned to the top 1,000 in the 2027 edition.

The number of Nigerian universities in the top 1,000 has fluctuated in recent years.

In the 2025 ranking, only Covenant University was among the top 1,000 universities globally. In 2026, UI and UNILAG moved into the 801–1000 band, while Covenant dropped to the 1001–1200 band.

The 2027 result therefore brings the number of Nigerian universities in the top 1,000 to three.

Nigerian universities in THE ranking

This year, the number ranked by the THE increased to 29, up from 24 last year.

The five institutions appearing in the ranking for the first time are 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 ranking include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin in the 1001–1200 band.

In the 1201–1400 band are Babcock University, Osun State University and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The 1401–1600 band contains 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 institution in the 1601–1800 band. The 1801–2000 band contains Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Olabisi Onabanjo University and University of Calabar.

The remaining seven Nigerian universities are in the 2001+ band. 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.

Oxford retains global lead globally

Globally, the University of Oxford retained the number one position for the 11th consecutive year.

It was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in second place, while Princeton University and Stanford University jointly occupied third place.

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The 2027 ranking assessed 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories, up from 2,191 institutions from 115 countries and territories in the 2026 edition.

Methodology

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings assess universities across five broad areas. They are; teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.

For the 2027 ranking, THE used 17 performance indicators to measure universities across these areas. Teaching accounts for 29.5 per cent of the overall score and considers factors including teaching reputation, the staff-to-student ratio, the ratio of doctorates to bachelor’s degrees, doctorates awarded relative to academic staff, and institutional income.

The research environment carries 29 per cent, based on research reputation, research income and research productivity.

Research quality has the largest weighting at 30 per cent. It measures citation impact, research strength, research excellence and research influence.

International outlook accounts for 7.5 per cent, measuring the proportions of international students and staff as well as international research collaboration.

Industry accounts for the remaining four per cent, based on industry income and patents linked to university research.

How universities are ranked

To be ranked, universities submit and approve their institutional data for the ranking, while THE also uses external data.

Where some data are missing, THE said it uses estimates or conservative imputation rather than assigning an institution a zero score. The various indicators are standardised and then combined according to their respective weightings to produce the overall result.

According to THE, eligibility requirements 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.