FUT Minna Ranks 7th as University of Ibadan Tops 2026 Times Higher Education Nigeria List

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

UI, a federal institution based in Ibadan, now ranks in the 801–1,000 global category. This marks a significant leap from its fourth-place national position in 2025 and restores the top spot it last held in 2023. The ranking surpasses other prominent Nigerian institutions, including Covenant University and the University of Lagos.

The 2026 edition of THE’s rankings evaluated 2,191 universities across 115 countries, using 18 performance indicators spanning teaching quality, research output, research environment, industry collaboration, and international outlook.

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Covenant University (CU), which held the top spot in 2024 and 2025, has now dropped to fourth place nationally. The University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Bayero University Kano (BUK) occupy the second and third positions, respectively.

The 2026 rankings are based on data drawn from 174.9 million citations across 18.7 million research publications, supplemented by survey responses from over 108,000 academics worldwide. UNILAG achieved the highest score among Nigerian universities in research quality (66.7), while BUK led in international outlook and CU ranked highest for industry engagement.

A total of 51 Nigerian universities were featured in the rankings. Only UI and UNILAG made it into the 801–1,000 global band. BUK, CU, and Landmark University followed in the 1001–1200 band, while institutions like Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, and the University of Nigeria ranked between 1201–1500. Fourteen universities were placed in the 1501+ category, and 27 others were unranked.

To be eligible for THE’s rankings, universities must teach undergraduates, offer programs across multiple disciplines, and have published at least 1,000 research papers between 2020 and 2024.

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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+