Nigeria now has 29 universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with seven schools placed among the world’s top 1,200.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the figures on 1 October, 2026, saying the rise came from five new entrants and better positions recorded by several Nigerian universities. The ministry presented the result as evidence of its tertiary education reforms.
The ministry said 32 other Nigerian universities were listed in THE’s Reporter category, bringing the number of Nigerian institutions involved in the ranking exercise to 61.
The figures give Nigeria the highest number of universities represented in the 2027 THE rankings among countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The ranking uses bands, so several universities share the same reported range instead of one exact position.
Seven reach the top 1,200
Five of the seven universities within the global top 1,200 are federal institutions, accounting for 71.4 per cent of Nigerian universities in that group.
The University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos stayed in the 801–1000 band. Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin were in the 1001–1200 band.
Covenant University and Landmark University also appeared in the 801–1200 range, giving private universities two entries among the seven.
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Bayero University was in the 1001–1200 band, while the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was in the 1201–1400 band.
The ministry also reported that five federal universities were among the seven institutions with clear upward movement: Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin.
Two private universities, Covenant University and Babcock University, also recorded upward movement.
New names enter the ranking
Osun State University entered the 1201–1400 band after not being ranked in 2026.
The University of Maiduguri also entered the 1401–1600 band, while Olagunsoye Oyinlola University appeared in the 1801–2000 band.
Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike entered the 2001+ band.
The table also records changes for universities that were already ranked.
Babcock University moved from 1501+ to 1201–1400. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin moved from 1501+ to 1401–1600.
FUT Minna and the University of Jos were listed in the 1401–1600 band, with the table noting that their positions were held or showed a slight slip because of band overlap.
FUT Akure was in the 1601–1800 band. FUT Owerri, LAUTECH and Lagos State University were in the 1801–2000 band.
Research quality leads the performance areas
The 2027 THE ranking identifies Research Quality as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities.
It also lists Research Environment and Teaching as areas needing more work.
The report says continued work on academic reputation, research output and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting will be important to sustaining the recorded progress.
The Federal Ministry of Education said its reform agenda focuses on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.
The ministry also said the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, known as NESRI, also focuses on evidence-based institutional performance, research capacity and healthy competition within tertiary education.
Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee, headed by Professor Peter Okebukola, to begin the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The ministry said the national exercise is designed to encourage healthy competition, improve institutional visibility and build the capacity of tertiary institutions to compete globally.
What readers should know
The 2027 THE ranking does not place all 29 Nigerian universities in one exact position. Most are grouped into bands, such as 801–1000, 1001–1200 and 1401–1600.
The table shows that Covenant University moved from 1001–1200 to 801–1000, while Ahmadu Bello University moved from 1201–1500 to 1001–1200.
The University of Ilorin also moved from 1201–1500 to 1001–1200. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin moved from 1501+ to 1401–1600.
The ranking also records Delta State University, Ekiti State University, FUNAAB and Federal University Oye-Ekiti in the 2001+ band. Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike were new entrants in that band, while the University of Port Harcourt was also listed there.
The ministry said a national ranking framework under development will assess universities using 22 indicators. It said the framework is being developed through consultation with stakeholders and will provide evidence for identifying institutional strengths and areas needing improvement.
The ministry said participation by Nigerian universities in global rankings should help benchmark performance, identify gaps and support continuous improvement in tertiary education.
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