The University of Ibadan has been ranked Nigeria’s leading higher institution in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, reclaiming a position it last held three years ago.
In the 2026 rankings released on Thursday, UI was placed within the 801–1000 global band, making it the highest-ranked Nigerian university and displacing Covenant University, which had led the country’s institutions in the previous two editions.
The ranking evaluated 2,191 universities across 115 countries using 18 performance indicators spanning teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook. The assessment drew on data from over 174.9 million citations and responses from more than 108,000 scholars worldwide.
The University of Lagos was the only other Nigerian institution to join UI in the global top 1000, also appearing in the 801–1000 category.
Other ranked universities from Nigeria include Bayero University Kano, Covenant University, and Landmark University, all placed within the 1001–1200 global band.
