Covenant University has emerged the only Nigerian university among the best 1,000 universities in the world in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, thus solidifying its status as Nigeria’s leading university. The university has consistently featured among best 1,000 spots since 2019.
Covenant University ranked in the 801-1000 range globally, maintaining its title as the highest-ranked Nigerian university from the previous year.
Other universities in this category include Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagah, Sheffield Hallam University United Kingdom, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, University of Rome, University of Delhi, India and University of Malta, Malta.
The Times Higher Education rankings assessed universities across five major areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry income, and international outlook. The ratings were determined using 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators to gauge the comprehensive effectiveness of each institution.
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These include analysis of over 134 million citations from 16.5 million research publications, along with survey responses from over 68,000 scholars globally.
In 2024, two Nigerian universities –Covenant University, Ogun State and the University of Ibadan— made the top 1,000 spot. In 2023, three universities –University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Covenant University – were in the top 1,000 spots.
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Speaking on the data, THE stated, “Overall, we collected 411,789 datapoints from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data,” reflecting the rigorous evaluation process.
The Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the University of Lagos, and Bayero University were also listed among the best institutions in the country. These universities have been recognised for their efforts in improving the quality of education and research, positioning them as important contributors to Nigeria’s higher education sector.
Global rankings
The University of Oxford topped the global rankings. Stanford University rose to second place, pushing Harvard University to fourth, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) climbed to third. The University of Cambridge, which was in joint third last year, slipped to fifth place.
This year’s Times Higher Education World Rankings saw notable changes, with Italy’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart making its debut in the 301-350 range. The US leads with 169 institutions overall, and 56 in the top 200. India surpassed China with 91 institutions, becoming the fourth most-represented country. Four European nations entered the rankings for the first time, contrasting with last year’s trend when all the new entrants were from Africa.
Stanford University topped the teaching pillar, Oxford and Cambridge led in research environment, and MIT ranked first in research quality. The University of Sharjah (UAE) excelled in international outlook, and 28 institutions achieved a perfect score in industry connections.
Here are the top 10 universities globally:
- University of Oxford, UK
- Stanford University, US
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
- Harvard University, US
- University of Cambridge, UK
- Princeton University, US
- California Institute of Technology, US
- Imperial College London, UK
- University of California, Berkeley, US
- Yale University, US
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