Nigeria recorded a modest presence in the newly released 2026 QS World University Rankings, with only three universities making the list out of the country’s 297 recognized institutions. The University of Ibadan (UI), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, were the only Nigerian schools included. However, none ranked within the global top 1,000.
UI and UNILAG were both placed in the 1001–1200 range, maintaining their previous year’s position. ABU entered the ranking for the first time, falling in the 1201–1400 category. The ranking, compiled by global education analysts Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), evaluates universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact, international diversity, research collaborations, graduate employability, and sustainability efforts.
From across 106 countries, 1,501 institutions were ranked for 2026. Nigeria’s limited showing stood in contrast to other African countries. Egypt had the highest number of entries on the continent with 20 universities, followed by South Africa with 11, and Tunisia with four. Ghana and Morocco had two each, while Kenya, Libya, Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia had one university each on the list.
The top-performing African universities were both South African. The University of Cape Town ranked highest at 150th, followed by the University of the Witwatersrand at 291st place.
Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led the rankings, followed by Imperial College London, Stanford University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard University. Others in the top 10 included the University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, the National University of Singapore, University College London, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
