The Federal Government has commenced the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, with the exercise expected to be completed by December 15.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa directed the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), chaired by Prof. Peter Okebukola, to conduct the exercise.
Okebukola disclosed this in a presentation following the release of the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
He said universities would be assessed using 22 indicators, with the framework designed to measure institutional performance, identify areas for improvement, and promote healthy competition across the tertiary education sector.
The exercise will cover both public and private institutions and is expected to provide a common national benchmark for tertiary institutions.
The development comes as Nigeria increased its representation in the latest THE global ranking, with 29 universities making the 2027 edition, up from 24 in 2026. Nigeria now has the highest number of ranked universities among countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Five Nigerian universities: Osun State University, University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University, and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, entered the global ranking for the first time.
Covenant University, the University of Ibadan, and the University of Lagos occupied Nigeria’s highest position, jointly placed in the 801–1000 global band. Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University, and the University of Ilorin were placed in the 1001–1200 band.
THE ranked 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories in its 2027 edition, compared with 2,191 institutions in 2026. The ranking assesses universities across areas including teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.
Beyond the 29 ranked universities, 32 Nigerian universities were listed in THE’s Reporter category, bringing the number of Nigerian institutions participating in the ranking exercise to 61.
Okebukola said the national ranking is intended to complement international assessments while helping Nigerian tertiary institutions identify performance gaps and improve their global competitiveness.
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