Nigerian universities could record further improvements in global rankings from 2027 as institutions face growing pressure to strengthen research output, academic collaboration and institutional performance.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), Professor Peter Okebukola, said the ongoing national ranking exercise was expected to encourage healthy competition among tertiary institutions and help identify areas requiring improvement.
Okebukola explained that a more structured approach to assessing universities would help institutions understand their strengths and weaknesses while working towards improved international recognition.
He said the national ranking initiative was designed to stimulate competition across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
“This mandatory directory has caused mass mobilisation of tertiary institutions in the country to gear up for the 2026 national ranking exercise,” he said.
The ranking initiative is expected to cover universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, providing a wider assessment of the country’s tertiary education system.
According to Okebukola, the university ranking framework will use 22 indicators, with the exercise expected to be completed before December 15, 2026.
The assessment is intended to provide a basis for comparing institutional performance and identifying areas where improvements are needed.
Nigeria has also recorded increased representation in international university rankings. In the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 29 Nigerian universities featured, compared with 24 in the 2026 edition.
The development places Nigeria among the leading countries in sub-Saharan Africa by the number of universities represented in the ranking.
However, improving the number of institutions listed is only one aspect of the challenge. Sustained progress will also depend on research quality, teaching standards, international collaboration and the ability of universities to produce work with measurable academic impact.
The national ranking exercise is expected to provide institutions with additional information to guide their development plans and strengthen their competitiveness.
Education stakeholders will be watching to see how the framework translates into measurable improvements across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
