Covenant University, the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The three universities were placed in the 801–1000 band globally in the rankings published by Times Higher Education (THE).
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Nigeria had 29 universities in the 2027 rankings, compared with 24 in the previous edition.
Five universities—Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University, and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike—were ranked for the first time.
Covenant University returned to the top position among Nigerian universities after UI and UNILAG shared the top spot in the 2026 edition.
The three South-West universities are now jointly placed in the 801–1000 band globally.
Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University came fourth and fifth among Nigerian universities.
The rankings look at five major areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.
According to THE, the 2027 rankings cover 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and territories. The institutions are assessed using 17 performance indicators.
Globally, the University of Oxford retained the number one position for the 11th consecutive year.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the University of Cape Town was the highest-ranked institution, moving up to joint 147th position from joint 164th in the previous ranking.
THE said the number of ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 55 to 69.
“Nigeria has the most universities ranked, with 29 in total,” it said.
The ranking also showed areas where individual Nigerian universities performed strongly. UNILAG had the highest score for research quality, with 67.8.
Bayero University was ranked highest among Nigerian universities for international outlook, while Covenant University had the highest industry score, showing its strong connection with industry.
For a university to be included in the 2027 World University Rankings, it must teach undergraduates, carry out research across different subjects, and have published at least 1,000 research publications between 2021 and 2025, with a minimum of 100 publications each year.
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