FG to rank tertiary institutions nationwide on 22 indicators

The Federal Government has set December 15, 2026, as the deadline for completing its national ranking of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, with universities to be assessed using 22 indicators as part of efforts to strengthen institutional performance and improve Nigeria’s global competitiveness.

The exercise, coordinated by the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee under the Federal Ministry of Education, is expected to establish a national framework for measuring institutional performance, identifying areas of weakness and encouraging competition among public and private tertiary institutions.

The Chairman of NiTERAC, Prof. Peter Okebukola, disclosed details of the exercise in a presentation on Nigeria’s performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, dated September 30, 2026, a copy of which he made available to The PUNCH.

According to Okebukola, the ranking exercise followed a directive from the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and would cover all three major categories of tertiary institutions.

He said, “As directed by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee has started the process of the 2026 ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

“The national ranking is intended to stimulate healthy internal competition among Nigerian tertiary institutions and to position the Nigerian tertiary education system for improved global ranking in the coming years.

“The university ranking will use 22 indicators, with weightings agreed with the League of Directors of Academic Planning, and the three sub-sector rankings are scheduled for completion before 15 December 2026. Section 13 describes the exercise.”

The exercise represents an expansion of the government’s approach to assessing tertiary education, moving beyond universities to include polytechnics and colleges of education.

Nigeria’s performance in the 2027 edition of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings provides a reference point for the government’s ambitions.

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According to Okebukola’s presentation, 29 Nigerian universities featured in the rankings, compared with 24 in the previous edition, making the country the most represented in sub-Saharan Africa.

The University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Covenant University were placed in the global 801–1,000 band, while four other Nigerian universities featured in the 1,001–1,200 category.

A further 32 Nigerian universities were listed in the Reporter category, bringing the number of institutions that submitted data or engaged with the ranking process to 61.

Reporter status indicates that an institution has provided data but does not satisfy one or more requirements for inclusion in the ranked tables.

The presentation noted that only 29 of the 328 universities listed by the National Universities Commission appeared in the ranked category.

It identified research funding, publication productivity, institutional data management and international collaboration as areas requiring sustained attention. It also highlighted differences among institutions in teaching, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook.

The national ranking is expected to provide institutions with a domestic benchmark against which they can measure their performance, identify gaps and plan improvements.

With the three subsector rankings scheduled for completion before December 15, 2026, the exercise will involve data collection, validation and finalisation of the assessment framework.