University of Ibadan reclaims top spot as Nigeria’s Best in latest ranking (Full List)

The University of Ibadan (UI) has regained its position as Nigeria’s number one university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026.

The federal institution, based in Ibadan, now sits in the 801–1,000 band globally—climbing from fourth place in the 2025 edition and reclaiming the top spot it last held in 2023.

THE ranked 2,191 institutions from 115 countries, using 18 indicators to assess teaching quality, research performance, research environment, industry engagement, and international outlook.

UI’s rise dethroned Covenant University (CU), which topped the rankings for Nigeria in 2024 and 2025. Following UI, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bayero University, and Covenant University rank second, third, and fourth nationally, respectively.

The 2026 report revealed major shifts in global higher education, drawing on 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million research papers and feedback from over 108,000 academics worldwide.

UNILAG emerged with the highest research quality score among Nigerian universities, earning 66.7 points, while Bayero University (BUK) led in international outlook, and Covenant University topped in industry engagement.

A total of 51 Nigerian universities featured in the 2026 rankings. Only UI and UNILAG were placed in the 801–1,000 global category. BUK, CU, and Landmark University appeared between 1001–1200, while universities such as Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, and University of Nigeria ranked in the 1201–1500 band. Fourteen universities were placed above 1501, and 27 others were unranked.

THE is one of the world’s most trusted organizations for evaluating higher education, publishing the widely referenced World University Rankings annually. Eligible institutions must offer undergraduate programmes, conduct multidisciplinary research, and have produced at least 1,000 research publications between 2020 and 2024.

Top 30 Nigerian Universities in THE World University Rankings 2026
University of Ibadan (UI) – 801–1000
University of Lagos (UNILAG) – 801–1000
Bayero University Kano (BUK) – 1001–1200
Covenant University (CU) – 1001–1200
Landmark University – 1001–1200
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) – 1201–1500
Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna) – 1201–1500
University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) – 1201–1500
University of Jos (UNIJOS) – 1201–1500
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) – 1201–1500
Babcock University – 1501+
Delta State University, Abraka – 1501+
Ekiti State University – 1501+
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) – 1501+
Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) – 1501+
Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) – 1501+
Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) – 1501+
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) – 1501+
Lagos State University (LASU) – 1501+
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) – 1501+
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) – 1501+
University of Benin (UNIBEN) – 1501+
University of Calabar (UNICAL) – 1501+
University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) – 1501+
Admiralty University of Nigeria – 1501+
Akwa Ibom State University – 1501+
Al-Hikmah University – 1501+
Augustine University – 1501+
Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti – 1501+
Bauchi State University, Gadau – 1501+