The University of Ibadan has been named Nigeria’s best university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, published on Thursday.
The ranking places the institution within the 801–1000 global band, ahead of the University of Lagos and Bayero University, Kano, which were ranked second and third, respectively.
The UK-based Times Higher Education assessed 2,191 institutions across 115 countries using 18 performance indicators grouped into five key areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook.
According to the 2026 results, the University of Ibadan (UI) reclaimed the top national position it last held in 2023, moving up from fourth place in the 2025 ranking.
The Ibadan-based university dethroned Covenant University, which held the top spot in 2024 and 2025.
Following the new ranking, Covenant University placed fourth in Nigeria while Landmark University ranked fifth. Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka all appeared within the global 1201–1500 band.
Times Higher Education noted that the 2026 list reflects changes in the global higher-education landscape, analysing 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million research publications and survey responses from over 108,000 scholars worldwide.
Within Nigeria, category results show that the University of Lagos achieved the highest score in research quality at 66.7, Bayero University Kano ranked highest in international outlook, and Covenant University retained the leading position for industry connection.
The University of Ibadan’s return to the top underscores its long-standing academic heritage and renewed research performance in the international ranking system.
For reference, UI and UNILAG fall within the 801–1000 band globally; BUK, CU, and Landmark appear between 1001–1200; while several other Nigerian universities, including Ahmadu Bello University and Federal University of Technology Minna, occupy positions between 1201 and 1500. Institutions such as Babcock University, LASU, OAU, UNIBEN, UNICAL, and UNIPORT remain in the 1501+ category.
The 2026 THE World University Rankings provide a benchmark for measuring academic excellence, institutional research capacity, and international engagement among universities worldwide.