Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos have jointly emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The three were placed between 801 and 1000 globally in the best university rankings published on THE’s website on Wednesday.
Nigeria also recorded 29 ranked universities in the 2027 edition, up from 24 in the 2026 rankings.
Five universities, including Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, were newly ranked.
Covenant University returned to the top position among Nigerian universities after it was dethroned to third last year by UI and UNILAG, which shared the top position in the 2026 edition.
The three South-West-based institutions are now jointly placed in the 801–1000 band globally, making them Nigeria’s highest-ranked universities in the 2027 edition.
Following them are two Northwest Nigerian universities: Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively.
The rankings assess research-intensive universities across five broad areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
According to THE, the 2027 rankings cover 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and territories. The ranking uses 17 performance indicators across the five pillars.
Globally, the University of Oxford retained the number one position for an 11th consecutive year, while in sub-Saharan Africa, the University of Cape Town was the highest-ranked institution, rising to joint 147th position from joint 164th in the previous edition.
“The number of ranked institutions in sub-Saharan increased from 55 last year to 69 this year. Nigeria has the most universities ranked, with 29 in total,” THE said.
THE rankings also show the strength of individual institutions. UNILAG is ranked highest in quality research, scoring 67.8.
BUK is ranked as the best Nigerian university in terms of international outlook, while Covenant has the highest industry score, indicating its top connection to industries.
Full List of Ranked Nigerian Universities
- Covenant University — 801–1000
- University of Ibadan — 801–1000
- University of Lagos — 801–1000
- Ahmadu Bello University — 1001–1200
- Bayero University — 1001–1200
- Landmark University — 1001–1200
- University of Ilorin — 1001–1200
- Babcock University — 1201–1400
- Osun State University — 1201–1400
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka — 1201–1400
- Federal University of Technology, Minna — 1401–1600
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University — 1401–1600
- Obafemi Awolowo University — 1401–1600
- University of Benin — 1401–1600
- University of Jos — 1401–1600
- University of Maiduguri — 1401–1600
- Federal University of Technology, Akure — 1601–1800
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri — 1801–2000
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology — 1801–2000
- Lagos State University — 1801–2000
- Olabisi Onabanjo University — 1801–2000
- University of Calabar — 1801–2000
- Delta State University, Abraka — 2001+
- Ekiti State University — 2001+
- Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta — 2001+
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti — 2001+
- Kwara State University — 2001+
- Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike — 2001+
- University of Port Harcourt — 2001+
