Covenant university has reclaimed its spot as the top university in Nigeria according to the 2027 Times Higher education ranking released on Wednesday.
Covenant University had briefly lost its spot to the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan in 2026 having held the position since 2018. University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos hold the second and third position respectively in the latest rankings.
Top 20 Universities in Nigeria
1 Covenant University 801–1000
2 University of Ibadan 801–1000
3 University of Lagos 801–1000
4 Ahmadu Bello University 1001–1200
5 Bayero University 1001–1200
6 Landmark University 1001–1200
7 University of Ilorin 1001–1200
8 Babcock University 1201–1400
9 Osun State University 1201–1400
10 University of Nigeria, Nsukka 1201–1400
11 Federal University of Technology, Minna 1401–1600
12 Nnamdi Azikiwe University 1401–1600
13 Obafemi Awolowo University 1401–1600
14 University of Benin 1401–1600
15 University of Jos 1401–1600
16 University of Maiduguri 1401–1600
17 Federal University of Technology, Akure 1601–1800
18 Federal University of Technology, Owerri 1801–2000
19 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology 1801–2000
20 Lagos State University 1801–2000
Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.
Nigeria has increased its representation in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with 29 universities featured in the 2027 edition, up from 24 institutions in the 2026 rankings.
The 2027 rankings, released on September 30, 2026, cover 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories. Nigeria has the largest number of ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa, ahead of other countries in the region.
The rankings assess universities across areas including teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook. THE introduced more granular ranking bands in the 2027 edition.
Covenant University leads Nigerian institutions on the Industry pillar, while the University of Lagos records the highest Research Quality score among Nigerian universities, at 67.8.
Bayero University leads Nigerian institutions on the International Outlook measure.
Five Nigerian universities also appear in the rankings for the first time: Osun State University, University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
Global Ranking
| 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 1 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States | 2 |
| =3 | Princeton University | United States | =3 |
| =3 | Stanford University | United States | =5 |
| 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | =3 |
| 6 | Harvard University | United States | =5 |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology | United States | 7 |
| 8 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 8 |
| =9 | University of California, Berkeley | United States | 9 |
| =9 | Yale University | United States | 10 |
