South-West universities lead as UI, UNILAG top Nigeria in global ranking
The South-West has emerged as the leading region in Nigeria’s university rankings, with the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) occupying the first and second positions nationally in the July 2026 edition of the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.
The ranking, which assessed 32,148 universities and higher education institutions worldwide, placed UI 1,291st globally and first in Nigeria, while UNILAG ranked 1,355th globally and second nationally, giving the South-West the top two positions in the country.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, came third in Nigeria and 1,397th globally, while Covenant University, Ota, ranked fourth nationally and 1,522nd worldwide. Landmark University and the University of Ilorin completed Nigeria’s top six, with the latter also located in the South-West.
Other Nigerian universities among the top 10 nationally were Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Port Harcourt and the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
The Webometrics ranking, published twice a year, evaluates higher education institutions based on indicators including visibility, openness and research excellence, with emphasis on their digital presence, accessibility of scholarly resources and research impact.
Globally, Harvard University retained the top position, followed by Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The University of Oxford, University of Washington, Cornell University and University of Michigan also featured among the global top 10.
The University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University completed the global top 10. American institutions dominated the ranking, occupying seven of the 10 positions, while the United Kingdom had two institutions in the top 10.
Despite leading Nigeria and giving the South-West the top two national positions, UI ranked outside the global top 1,000, highlighting the gap between Nigeria’s leading universities and the world’s top-ranked institutions in the July 2026 Webometrics ranking.
