FG Orders National Ranking of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions on 22 Indicators

FG Orders National Ranking of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions on 22 Indicators

The Federal Government has commenced a 2026 national ranking of Nigerian tertiary institutions, with Education Minister Tunji Alausa directing the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), chaired by Professor Peter Okebukola, to assess universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.

Okebukola disclosed the development in a presentation on Nigeria’s performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, saying the three subsector rankings are expected to be completed by December 15, 2026.

Under the framework, Nigerian universities will be assessed using 22 indicators, with the weightings agreed with the League of Directors of Academic Planning.

The exercise is intended to establish a national benchmark for measuring institutional performance, identifying areas that need improvement and encouraging healthy competition among public and private tertiary institutions.

According to Okebukola, the initiative is also aimed at positioning Nigeria’s tertiary education system for stronger performance in international rankings.

The expansion of the exercise beyond universities means that polytechnics and colleges of education will also be covered under the 2026 assessment. This will provide a broader national picture of performance across the major categories of tertiary education.

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The development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s improved representation in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

A total of 29 Nigerian universities featured in the 2027 global ranking, compared with 24 in the previous edition, giving Nigeria the highest number of ranked institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

The University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Covenant University were placed in the global 801–1,000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin were placed in the 1,001–1,200 category.

Another 32 Nigerian universities were listed in the Reporter category. Reporter status applies to institutions that submitted data but did not meet one or more requirements for inclusion in the ranked tables.

Okebukola’s assessment noted that only 29 of the 328 universities listed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) appeared in the ranked category.

It also identified areas including research funding, publication output, institutional data management and international collaboration as requiring sustained attention across the sector. Differences in teaching, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook were also highlighted.

The national ranking is expected to give institutions a domestic framework for assessing their performance and identifying gaps, while providing policymakers with data that can support decisions on tertiary education development.

The committee is expected to undertake data collection and validation before finalising the rankings for the three subsectors ahead of the December 15 deadline.

The outcome will provide a new national reference point for assessing Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education and tracking their performance over time.

FG Orders National Ranking of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions on 22 Indicators