The University of Ibadan (UI) has been ranked as Nigeria’s best university in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, reclaiming a position it last held in 2023.
The ranking, released on Thursday, October 9, 2025, placed UI in the 801–1,000 band globally, ahead of other leading Nigerian institutions.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and Covenant University (CU) followed in second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.
According to THE, the 2026 rankings assessed 2,191 institutions across 115 countries, using 18 performance indicators that measure excellence in five key areas — teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.
UI’s rise marks a significant improvement from its fourth-place position in 2025, overtaking Covenant University, which had dominated the top spot in the previous two years.
The 2026 edition also reflects a major global shift in higher education performance, based on the analysis of 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million research publications and survey responses from over 108,000 scholars worldwide.
“The rankings highlight the strength of individual institutions. UNILAG recorded the highest score in research quality, with 66.7 points,” THE noted.
Similarly, BUK was recognised as Nigeria’s most internationally oriented university, while Covenant University maintained the country’s highest industry score, reflecting strong partnerships with the private sector.
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Out of 51 Nigerian universities featured in the 2026 list, only UI and UNILAG made it into the 801–1,000 global category, reinforcing their status as Nigeria’s leading centres of academic excellence.
See the full list of Nigerian universities in THE 2026 ranking below:
University of Ibadan (801–1000)
University of Lagos (801–1000)
Bayero University (1001–1200)
Covenant University (1001–1200)
Landmark University (1001–1200)
Ahmadu Bello University (1201–1500)
Federal University of Technology, Minna (1201–1500)
University of Ilorin (1201–1500)
University of Jos (1201–1500)
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1201–1500)
Babcock University (1501+)
Delta State University, Abraka (1501+)
Ekiti State University (1501+)
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (1501+)
Federal University of Technology, Akure (1501+)
Federal University of Technology, Owerri (1501+)
Federal University Oye-Ekiti (1501+)
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (1501+)
Lagos State University (1501+)
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (1501+)
Obafemi Awolowo University (1501+)
University of Benin (1501+)
University of Calabar (1501+)
University of Port Harcourt (1501+)
Admiralty University of Nigeria
Akwa Ibom State University
Al-Hikmah University
Augustine University
Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti
Bauchi State University, Gadau
Bayelsa Medical University
Baze University
Bells University of Technology
Bowen University
Evangel University, Akaeze
Federal University of Lafia
Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun
Fountain University
Godfrey Okoye University
Igbinedion University, Okada
Kaduna State University
Lagos State University of Education.
Lagos State University of Science and Technology
Lead City University
Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria
Nasarawa State University, Keffi
Redeemer’s University
Rivers State University
Thomas Adewumi University
University of Cross River State
University of Delta
THE is a globally recognised independent organisation that provides data and analysis for the higher education sector, including the widely adopted World University Rankings.
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