In the latest edition of the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, Covenant University (CU) has emerged as the best university in Nigeria. This prestigious achievement places CU ahead of several well-known public institutions in the country, including the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), both of which have traditionally held high spots in past rankings.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an annual evaluation of universities across the globe. This year, the ranking assessed 1,907 universities from 108 countries, using 18 different performance indicators. These indicators measure key areas such as teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook, making the ranking one of the most respected assessments of university performance worldwide.
Covenant University, a private institution located in Ota, Ogun State, secured the top spot for Nigerian universities, while the University of Ibadan came in second. Following closely were the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in third place, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in fourth, and Bayero University, Kano (BUK), rounding out the top five.
The global rankings are based on extensive data collection and analysis. For the 2024 edition, over 134 million citations were analyzed from 16.5 million research publications. Additionally, survey responses were gathered from more than 68,000 scholars around the world. Data from 2,673 institutions were also collected to provide an in-depth review of each university’s performance.
On the international scene, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom maintained its position as the number one university globally for the ninth consecutive year. Stanford University in the United States moved up to second place, while Harvard University, which once held the top spot for eight years, slipped to fourth. The University of Cambridge, also in the UK, dropped to fifth place after sharing the third position last year.
In addition to Covenant University, several other Nigerian universities made the list, showing a broad representation of the country’s educational institutions.
Nigeria’s Overall Best Universities
- Covenant University
- University of Ibadan
- Federal University of Technology Akure
- University of Lagos
- Bayero University
- University of Ilorin
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka
- Afe Babalola University
- University of Benin
- Federal University ofAgriculture, Abeokuta
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
- Lagos State University
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University
- Obafemi Awolowo University
- University of Port Harcourt
- Abia State University
- Akwa Ibom State University
- Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike
- Babcock University
- Baze University
- Bells University of Technology
- Benson Idahosa University
- Delta State University, Abraka
- Edo State University, Uzairue
- Edwin Clarke University
- Elizade University
- Evangel University, Akaeze
- Federal University of Kashere
- Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun
- Federal University of Technology, Minna
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri
- Fountain University
- Landmark University
- Nasarawa State University, Keffi
- Niger Delta University
- Plateau State University, Bokkos
- Thomas Adewumi University
- Veritas University, Abuja
- Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano
