For the third consecutive year, no Nigerian university has ranked among the top 1,000 in the QS World University Rankings, with the 2026 edition—released on June 19, 2025—once again excluding all 297 Nigerian institutions from the global elite list.

Only three Nigerian universities made the rankings at all: the University of Ibadan (UI), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

UI and UNILAG remained in the 1,001–1,200 band for both 2025 and 2026, while ABU entered the list for the first time in the 1,201–1,400 range.

Compiled annually by the UK-based firm Quacquarelli Symonds, the QS World University Rankings evaluate universities based on eight indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, international research network, employment outcomes, and sustainability.

Despite their historical prestige and high graduate output, Nigerian universities continue to underperform in key areas like research impact, global collaboration, and employability—factors that significantly influence global rankings.

Across Africa, Egypt led the continent with 20 universities on the 2026 list, 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 apiece.

Notably, South Africa remains the only African country with institutions in the global top 300. 

The University of Cape Town ranked 150th, while the University of the Witwatersrand placed 291st.

QS World University Rankings 2026 – Global Top 10

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
2. Imperial College London (UK)
3. Stanford University (USA)
4. University of Oxford (UK)
5. Harvard University (USA)
6. University of Cambridge (UK)
7. ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
8. National University of Singapore (Singapore)
9. University College London (UK)
10. California Institute of Technology (USA)

These leading institutions consistently excel in research output, academic reputation, international engagement, and graduate employability.