The Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee, Professor Peter Okebukola, has applauded the ranking of the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos among the top 1000 in the 2026 World University Rankings by Times Higher Education, released on Thursday.
According to The Nation, Okebukola, who is also a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, commended the strides the university has made in becoming the two top rankers in 2026, with both having the same overall range score of 35.5- 38.9.
“This is an improvement over the 2025 league tables, where only one Nigerian university- Covenant University was ranked among the top 1000 and the best in Nigeria,” he stated in a statement on Thursday.
He noted that the Times Higher Education uses 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide a comprehensive and balanced comparison, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry, and governments in ranking universities within its World University Ranking scheme.
He added that other THE ranking schemes include Impact Rankings (where Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti has maintained a consistent lead over the years), Sub-Saharan Africa University rankings and ranking by subjects.
Okebukola added, “Oxford University led the pack, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and Stanford University.
“Interestingly, Harvard, which had maintained a consistent lead in the early years of the ranking, slipped to the fifth position and yielded to Oxford, which retained the number one spot for the tenth consecutive year, driven by strong research environment scores. Two Nigerian universities were ranked among the top 1000.”
Okebukola, who is the former Chairman of the governing board of the National Open University of Nigeria NOUN, further broke down the 2026 rankings, noting that “among the top 1200 universities are Bayero University, Kano, Covenant University, and Landmark University. The three universities band in the same overall score range of 32.1 – 35.4.”
According to the NURAC boss, in 2025, four Nigerian universities were ranked in the 1200 category, indicating slight underperformance in 2026.
The next ranked in the 1201 and 1500 band are Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology, Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Fourteen universities were ranked in the 1500+ category.
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These are Babcock University; Delta State University, Abraka; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Ekiti State University; Federal University of Agriculture, Akure; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; Ladoke Akintola University; Lagos State University; Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Obafemi Awolowo University; University of Benin; University of Calabar and University of Port Harcourt.
Twenty-six universities are in the reporter category, having not achieved the ranking threshold but with the potential to be ranked in the future.
These are Akwa Ibom State University; Al-Hikmah University; Augustine University; Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti; Bauchi State University, Gadau; Bayelsa Medical University; Baze University; Bells University of Technology; Bowen University; Evangel University, Akaeze; Federal University of Lafia; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; Fountain University; Godfrey Okoye University; Igbinedion University Okada; Kaduna State University; Lagos State University of Education; Lagos State University of Science and Technology; Lead City University; Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Redeemer’s University; Rivers State University; Thomas Adewumi University; University of Cross River State; and University of Delta.
TVC previously reported that the University of Ibadan has secured the top spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 in Nigeria, beating Covenant, which previously held the position in 2025.
The ranking, which evaluates universities across various performance metrics, placed the Ibadan-based institution ahead of other leading Nigerian universities, reaffirming its position as a leader in higher education.
A significant shift in the global higher education landscape was evident in the 2026 list, which was compiled from an enormous global data pool. This research base included survey responses collected from over 108,000 scholars and an analysis of 18.7 million research publications that generated more than 174.9 million citations.
FULL LIST: UI Beats Convenant, Unilag To Emerge Best Varsity For 2026
