Top 21 Nigerian Universities Ranked According To Times Higher Education

The Times Higher Education (THE) rankings highlight the top universities, exemplifying excellence in teaching, research, and innovation, amongst others.

In the recently released World University Rankings 2025 by Times Higher Education, Covenant University emerged as the highest-ranked Nigerian institution, placing between 801st and 1000th globally.

Times Higher Education (THE) employs 18 meticulously designed performance indicators to calculate university rankings. These indicators are categorized into five key areas:

1. Teaching (30%): Learning environment
2. Research Environment (29%): Volume, income, and reputation
3. Research Quality (30%): Citation impact, research strength, excellence, and influence
4. International Outlook (7.5%): Staff, students, and research collaborations
5. Industry Income and Innovation (4%): Patents, inventions, consultancy, and industry partnerships

These five areas comprehensively assess a university’s strengths, weighing:

• Research excellence and environment (59%)
• Teaching quality (29.5%)
• Global connections and diversity (7.5%)
• Industry collaboration and innovation (4%)

THE’s balanced approach provides a holistic evaluation of universities, recognizing excellence across multiple dimensions.

In order of the rankings by THE, here are the Top 21 Universities in Nigeria.

1. Covenant University
2. Ahmadu Bello University
3. Landmark University
4. University of Ibadan
5. University of Lagos
6. Bayero University
7. Federal University of Technology, Akure
8. Federal University of Technology, Minna
9. University of Benin
10. University of Ilorin
11. University of Nigeria, Nsukka
12. Ekiti State University
13. Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
14. Federal University of Technology, Owerri
15. Federal University of Oye-Ekiti
16. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
17. Lagos State University
18. Nnamdi Azikiwe University
19. Obafemi Awolowo University
20. University of Port Harcourt
21. Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

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