The Federal Government of Nigeria has set a deadline of December 15, 2026, for the completion of a national ranking exercise for tertiary institutions. This exercise, coordinated by the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC) under the Federal Ministry of Education, aims to provide a framework for measuring the performance of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The ranking will help identify areas that need improvement and encourage competition among public and private institutions.
The Chairman of NiTERAC, Prof. Peter Okebukola, disclosed this information in a presentation on Nigeria's performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. According to Okebukola, the exercise follows a directive from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The ranking will cover universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, and is intended to stimulate healthy internal competition among Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The national ranking will use 22 indicators, with weightings agreed upon with the League of Directors of Academic Planning. The three sub-sector rankings are scheduled for completion before December 15, 2026. This exercise expands the government's ranking system beyond universities to include polytechnics and colleges of education. The ranking will assess performance in areas such as teaching, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.
Nigeria's performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings was also highlighted in Okebukola's presentation. A total of 29 Nigerian universities featured in the rankings, compared to 24 in the previous edition. This makes Nigeria the most represented country in sub-Saharan Africa. The University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, and Covenant University were placed in the global 801-1,000 band.
Four other Nigerian universities were placed in the 1,001-1,200 category, while 32 universities were listed in the Reporter category. Reporter status means an institution provided data but did not meet one or more requirements for inclusion in the ranked tables. Only 29 of the 328 universities listed by the National Universities Commission appeared in the ranked category.
The presentation identified areas that require attention, including research funding, publication productivity, institutional data management, and international collaboration. The national ranking is expected to give tertiary institutions a domestic benchmark for measuring their performance, identifying gaps, and planning improvements. The exercise will involve data collection, validation, and finalization of the assessment framework ahead of the December 15, 2026 deadline.
The ranking exercise is expected to position the Nigerian tertiary education system for improved global ranking in the coming years. The Federal Government hopes that this exercise will encourage tertiary institutions to improve their performance and compete favorably with their global counterparts. The national ranking will provide a framework for measuring progress and identifying areas that need improvement.
Key points
- The Federal Government has set a deadline of December 15, 2026, for the completion of the national ranking exercise.
- The ranking will use 22 indicators to assess performance in areas such as teaching, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.
- Nigeria's performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings showed that 29 Nigerian universities featured in the rankings.
