UI, UNILAG shine in global rankings as Oxford retains world no.1 position

Chairman of the Nigerian University Rankings Advisory Committee and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, has hailed the inclusion of two Nigerian universities in the top 1,000 of the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on Thursday.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Okebukola revealed that the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) secured positions in the overall score range of 35.5–38.9, marking a significant improvement from the 2025 rankings, where only Covenant University entered the top 1,000.

“The 2026 results reflect progress in the global position of Nigerian universities,” Okebukola said. He explained that THE ranking was determined using 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators covering five main areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry involvement and international outlook.

According to him, Oxford University maintained its position as the world’s leading university for ten consecutive years, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Princeton University, Cambridge University, Harvard University and Stanford University. He noted that Harvard, once a consistent leader, now ranks fifth due to Oxford’s continued strength in research performance.

Okebukola, who also chairs the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), further detailed that Bayero University Kano (BUK), Covenant University and Landmark University all emerged in the 1,001–1,200 bracket, with an overall score of between 32.1 and 35.4.

“In 2025, four Nigerian universities are included in this ranking, so performance in 2026 shows a slight decline,” he said. Institutions placed in the 1,201–1,500 bracket include Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), University of Jos (UNIJOS), and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), while 14 others appear in the 1500+ category.

The 2026 rankings ranked the University of Ibadan as the best university in Nigeria, ahead of UNILAG, BUK and Covenant University respectively. UI, which previously occupied the top position in 2023, rose from fourth position in 2025 to reclaim national leadership.

The new ranking covers 2,191 institutions in 115 countries, drawing from 18.7 million research publications, 174.9 million citations, and survey responses from more than 108,000 academics worldwide.

Notably, UNILAG scored highest among Nigerian universities in terms of research quality, obtaining a score of 66.7.

Okebukola also highlighted the performance of Nigerian universities in other THE ranking schemes, including the Impact Rankings, where Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) continues to show strong performance, as well as the Sub-Saharan African University Rankings and subject-based classifications.

He expressed optimism that with continued investment and commitment to quality education, more Nigerian universities would soon join the ranks of world-leading institutions.