Covenant University, the University of Ibadan, and the University of Lagos have together become Nigeria’s top-ranked universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
In the leading university rankings released on THE’s website on Wednesday, the three institutions were ranked between 801 and 1000 worldwide.
Nigeria likewise had 29 universities ranked in the 2027 edition, an increase from 24 in the 2026 rankings.
Five universities were newly included, among them Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University, and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
Covenant University reclaimed the top spot among Nigerian universities after losing it to third place last year to UI and UNILAG, which shared first position in the 2026 edition.
These three South-West-based institutions are now tied in the 801–1000 global band, making them Nigeria’s highest-ranked universities in the 2027 edition.
They are followed by two universities from Northwest Nigeria: Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively.
The rankings evaluate research-intensive universities in five broad areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.
As stated by THE, the 2027 rankings include 2,297 institutions spanning 118 countries and territories. The ranking relies on 17 performance indicators distributed across the five pillars.
Globally, the University of Oxford held onto the number one spot for an 11th straight year, while in sub-Saharan Africa, the University of Cape Town was the top-ranked institution, moving up to joint 147th position from joint 164th in the previous edition.
“The number of ranked institutions in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 55 last year to 69 this year. Nigeria has the most universities ranked, with 29 in total,” THE said.
The rankings also highlight the strength of individual institutions.↻ UNILAG ranks highest in quality research, with a score of 67.8.
BUK is ranked as the best Nigerian university for international outlook, while Covenant has the highest industry score, reflecting its leading connection to industries.
Full list of ranked Nigerian universities
- Covenant University — 801–1000
- University of Ibadan — 801–1000
- University of Lagos — 801–1000
- Ahmadu Bello University — 1001–1200
- Bayero University — 1001–1200
- Landmark University — 1001–1200
- University of Ilorin — 1001–1200
- Babcock University — 1201–1400
- Osun State University — 1201–1400
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka — 1201–1400
- Federal University of Technology, Minna — 1401–1600
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University — 1401–1600
- Obafemi Awolowo University — 1401–1600
- University of Benin — 1401–1600
- University of Jos — 1401–1600
- University of Maiduguri — 1401–1600
- Federal University of Technology, Akure — 1601–1800
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri — 1801–2000
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology — 1801–2000
- Lagos State University — 1801–2000
- Olabisi Onabanjo University — 1801–2000
- University of Calabar — 1801–2000
- Delta State University, Abraka — 2001+
- Ekiti State University — 2001+
- Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta — 2001+
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti — 2001+
- Kwara State University — 2001+
- Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike — 2001+
- University of Port Harcourt — 2001+
