Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos have emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked institutions in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The three universities were placed in the 801–1000 global band in the latest edition of the ranking released by Times Higher Education on Wednesday.
Nigeria recorded 29 ranked universities in the 2027 edition, compared with 24 institutions in the previous ranking.
Five universities—Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike—were ranked for the first time.
Covenant University returned to the leading position among Nigerian universities after finishing third in the 2026 edition, when the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos shared the top spot.
Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University followed the three institutions, occupying the fourth and fifth positions among Nigerian universities, respectively.
THE said the rankings assess research-intensive universities using five broad areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
According to the organisation, the 2027 edition covers 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories and uses 17 performance indicators across the five areas.
Globally, the University of Oxford retained the top position for an 11th consecutive year, while the University of Cape Town was the highest-ranked institution in sub-Saharan Africa, rising to joint 147th position from joint 164th in the previous edition.
“The number of ranked institutions in sub-Saharan increased from 55 last year to 69 this year. Nigeria has the most universities ranked, with 29 in total,” THE said.
The ranking also showed differences in the performance areas of Nigerian universities.
The University of Lagos recorded the highest score for research quality at 67.8, while Bayero University led in international outlook and Covenant University had the highest industry score.
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+
THE also listed 33 Nigerian institutions as reporter institutions.
These universities submitted data but did not meet the eligibility requirements for a rank.
For the 2027 ranking, THE said institutions must teach undergraduates, conduct research across a range of subjects and have published at least 1,000 research publications between 2021 and 2025, with a minimum of 100 publications annually.
