29 Nigerian Universities Make Global Rankings as Education Reforms Deepen

Nigeria has strengthened its presence in the global higher education landscape, with 29 Nigerian universities featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

The figure represents the highest number of universities ranked from any country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

She said the development reflected the impact of ongoing education reforms under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the ministry, the number of Nigerian universities ranked globally increased from 24 in 2026 to 29 in 2027, with five institutions entering the rankings for the first time.

Another 32 Nigerian universities were listed in the THE Reporter category, bringing the total number of Nigerian institutions engaged with the ranking exercise to 61.

The ministry said the development represented a significant milestone in efforts to improve the quality, competitiveness and global visibility of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

It said the reform agenda under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) had placed greater emphasis on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.

“The significant increase in the number of Nigerian universities and notably Federal Universities being ranked by Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings is a clear manifestation that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Education, being powered by the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiatives, is now yielding significant results,” the ministry said.

Federal universities recorded particularly strong results, accounting for five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global top 1,200.

The University of Ibadan and University of Lagos retained their positions in the 801-1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and University of Ilorin advanced from the 1201-1500 band into the 1001-1200 band.

Bayero University retained its position in the 1001-1200 band, while Covenant University moved from 1001-1200 to 801-1000.

The ministry said federal universities also occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401-1600 band, highlighting their contribution to the country’s improved global ranking profile.

Five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement were federal institutions. They are Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.

The 2027 rankings also featured several first-time Nigerian entrants, including Osun State University, University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

The ministry attributed the increased participation and improved performance of Nigerian universities to the education reforms being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

It said the reforms, driven through NESRI, were strengthening evidence-based institutional performance, research capacity and healthy competition across the tertiary education system.

The ministry further disclosed that the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, had directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NITERAC), led by Prof Peter Okebukola, to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The national exercise, it said, would stimulate healthy competition, enhance institutional visibility and strengthen the capacity of tertiary institutions to compete globally.

The emerging ranking framework is being developed in consultation with stakeholders and will assess universities using 22 indicators, providing a stronger evidence base for identifying institutional strengths and areas requiring improvement.

The ministry said the 2027 THE World University Rankings showed that research quality remained the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities, while research environment and teaching remained areas requiring further attention.

It said sustained improvement in academic reputation, research outcomes and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting would be important to maintaining the progress recorded.

“The Federal Ministry of Education welcomes the progress recorded by Nigerian universities and remains committed to reforms that advance research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and institutional competitiveness,” the ministry said.

It said the growing participation of Nigerian universities in global rankings should not be viewed merely as recognition, but as an important mechanism for benchmarking performance, identifying gaps and accelerating continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

The ministry said the latest development provided further evidence of the growing engagement of Nigerian universities with international higher education standards and the country’s efforts to improve its competitiveness in the global academic community.