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ABUJA – Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola has expressed excitement over the ranking of two Nigerian universities among the top 1000 in the 2026 World University Rankings by Times Higher Education (THE) released recently.
The former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, in a statement in Abuja said that the two top rankers in 2026 are the University of Ibadan and University of Lagos with both having the same overall range score of 35.5- 38.9.
“This is an improvement over the 2025 league tables where only one Nigerian university- Covenant University was ranked among the top 1,000 and the best in Nigeria,” he stated.
According to the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, the Times Higher Education uses 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide a comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments in ranking universities within its World University Ranking scheme.
He noted that Times Higher Education ranking schemes include Impact Rankings (where Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti has maintained a consistent lead over the years), Sub-Saharan Africa University rankings and ranking by subjects.
According to Okebukola, “Oxford University led the pack, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, University of Cambridge, Harvard University and Stanford University.
“Interestingly, Harvard that had maintained a consistent lead in the early years of the ranking, slipped to the fifth position and yielded to Oxford that retains the number one spot for the tenth consecutive year, driven by strong research environment score. Two Nigerian universities were ranked among the top 1,000.
Okebukola who was also a former Chairman of the governing board of the National Open University of Nigeria NOUN further broke down the 2026 rankings, noting that “among the top 1200 universities are Bayero University Kano, Covenant University and Landmark University. The three universities band in the same overall score range of 32.1 – 35.4.
According to him, In 2025, four Nigerian universities were ranked in the 1,200 category indicating slight underperformance in 2026. The next ranked in the 1,201 and 1,500 band are Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos and University of Nigeria Nsukka. Fourteen universities were ranked in the 1500+ category.
These are Babcock University; Delta State University, Abraka; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Ekiti State University; Federal University of Agriculture, Akure; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; Ladoke Akintola University; Lagos State University; Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Obafemi Awolowo University; University of Benin; University of Calabar and University of Port Harcourt.
Twenty-six universities are in the reporter category having not achieved the ranking threshold but with potential to be ranked in the future. These are 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; and University of Delta.
According to Okebukola, universities could be excluded from the World University Rankings if they do not teach undergraduates, or if their research output amounted to fewer than 1,000 relevant publications between 2020 and 2024 (with a minimum of 100 a year).
While giving further insight into the rankings, Okebulola said universities could also be excluded if 80 per cent or more of their research output is exclusively in one of the 11 subject areas of Times Higher Education.
