30/09/2026
UNIZIK Ranked Joint 4th in Nigeria in THE World University Rankings 2027
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has recorded an upward move in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, placing joint 4th in Nigeria. The university had remained in the same band for more than five years.
Prof. George Uchenna Eleje, Chairman of the Senate Committee on University Ranking, congratulated the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Anyaehie, for his all-round support in improving the university's ranking. "We will get better in the coming years," he said.
UNIZIK was one of seven Nigerian universities to record a clear upward move. The others are Covenant University, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Babcock University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.
THE released the rankings on 30 September 2026 at the World Academic Summit, hosted by the University of Cape Town. The 2027 edition is the largest yet, covering 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, up from 2,191 institutions in 2026.
The University of Oxford retained first place for the eleventh consecutive year, just 0.1 points ahead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tsinghua University rose to 11th, the highest position yet for an Asian institution. Three Asian universities now sit in the global top 15 for the first time.
Nigeria is the most represented country in sub-Saharan Africa, with 29 ranked universities out of 69 in the sub-region (42.0 per cent). This is up from 24 in the 2026 edition, with five new entrants.
A further 32 Nigerian universities are in the Reporter category, bringing the total to 61.
Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos share first place nationally in the 801β1000 world band.
Covenant moved up from the 1001β1200 band to rejoin the other two. Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin are in the 1001β1200 band, bringing the number of Nigerian universities within the global top 1,200 to seven.
RPT/ Chinedu Chidolue Patrick