The Federal Government has commenced preparations for the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, following an increase in the country’s representation in global university rankings.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), led by Professor Peter Okebukola, to begin the exercise.

The move comes after 29 Nigerian universities were listed in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, compared with 24 institutions in the previous edition.

Nigeria now has the highest number of ranked universities among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with five institutions making the global ranking for the first time.

According to the Federal Ministry of Education, the national ranking framework being developed by NiTERAC will assess tertiary institutions using 22 indicators.

The ministry said the framework is designed to encourage healthy competition, improve institutional visibility and strengthen the ability of Nigerian tertiary institutions to compete internationally.

It said the increased representation of Nigerian universities in the latest

THE rankings reflects ongoing reforms under the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), with emphasis on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.

Federal universities accounted for a significant share of Nigeria’s improved performance in the latest ranking.

The University of Ibadan and University of Lagos retained their positions in the 801–1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin moved into the 1001–1200 band alongside Bayero University.

Covenant University also retained its position in the 801–1000 band.

The ministry said federal universities occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401–1600 band, while five of the seven Nigerian institutions that recorded upward movement were federal universities.

Beyond the 29 universities ranked globally, 32 additional Nigerian universities were listed in the THE Reporter category, bringing the number of Nigerian institutions participating in the ranking exercise to 61.

The ministry identified research quality as the strongest performance area for Nigerian universities but said research environment and teaching remain areas requiring further improvement.

It said sustained progress would depend on stronger academic reputation, research output, doctoral production, international collaboration and improved institutional data reporting.

The Federal Government said the national ranking exercise would provide a framework for benchmarking institutional performance, identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.