The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), led by Prof Peter Okebukola, to begin the 2026 national ranking of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.
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The directive follows an increase in the number of Nigerian universities featured in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with 29 institutions making the latest global list compared with 24 in the 2026 edition.
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Nigeria recorded the highest number of ranked universities among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, while five Nigerian universities appeared in the global rankings for the first time.
The Federal Ministry of Education said NiTERAC was developing a national ranking framework in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The framework will assess tertiary institutions using 22 indicators intended to encourage competition, improve institutional visibility and strengthen the ability of Nigerian institutions to compete internationally.
The ministry disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
It attributed the increase in Nigeria’s representation in global university rankings to reforms being implemented under Alausa, particularly in research, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness through the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
According to the latest THE ranking, federal universities account for much of Nigeria’s improved performance. Five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global top 1,200 are federal institutions, representing 71.4 per cent of the Nigerian universities in that category.
The University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos retained positions in the 801–1000 bracket. Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin moved into the 1001–1200 band, where they joined Bayero University, which retained its position.
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Covenant University also retained its place in the 801–1000 category.
The ministry added that federal universities occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401–1600 band.
Five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement in the latest ranking were also federal institutions. They were Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.
Apart from the 29 universities ranked globally, another 32 Nigerian universities were included in THE Reporter category. This brings the total number of Nigerian institutions participating in the ranking exercise to 61.
The ministry said Research Quality was the strongest performance area for Nigerian universities in the 2027 ranking, while Research Environment and Teaching remained areas requiring further improvement.
It added that sustaining the progress would depend on continued gains in academic reputation, research output and productivity, doctoral programmes, international collaboration and the quality of institutional data submitted for ranking purposes.
The ministry said participation in global rankings should not be viewed solely as recognition for institutions, but also as a way of measuring performance, identifying weaknesses and supporting continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
It reaffirmed its commitment to reforms targeting research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and stronger institutional competitiveness.
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