By Stephen Godonu
The University of Ibadan, Lagos State University, University of Lagos, and Covenant University ranked among the top 1,000 universities in the world.
This was contained in the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Ranking released on Wednesday.
THE ranked UI, LASU, UNILAG as first, second, and third respectively in Nigeria.
Covenant University, Ota was ranked fourth; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, fifth; and Obafemi Awolowo University, sixth in Nigeria.
The University of Oxford tops the rankings for the fifth consecutive year, while mainland China’s Tsinghua University becomes the first Asian university to break into the top 20 under the current methodology (launched in 2011).
The US claims a record eight places in the top 10, after the University of California, Berkeley climbed six places to seventh, but US universities outside the top 200 show signs of decline.
There were 141 first-time entrants in the rankings this year, topped by France’s recently merged Paris-Saclay University (joint 178th).
India has the highest number of new entries (14) and as a result, boasts a record number of ranked institutions (63).
A breakdown of the ranking further showed that UI rose to the 401- 500 bracket to overtake CU, which witnessed a drop from 2018’s 636 position to remain at the top 1,000.
CU was ranked as Nigeria’s best university in THE’s 2020 report after usurping UI since 2018.
LASU placed between 501 and 600 bands, while UNILAG ranked 601–800.
UNN and OAU placed on figures exceeding 1,000.
Reacting, LASU in a press statement said, “The latest ranking follows a consistent and meteoric rise in the local and international stock of the University in the last five years of the Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun-led administration, thanks to the entrenchment of academic excellence, a culture of cutting edge research and enhanced community service.”
“This year, UNILAG took a leap from the range in which it was ranked last year, 801–1,000, to a better range of 601–800. With continued dedication and hard work, the University aims to gradually advance to being ranked among the top 10 best universities across the globe.
“Congratulations to members of the University community for the great achievement. All are encouraged to continue contributing their quota to make the University of Lagos great,” UNILAG added on its website.
The ranking showed that over 1,500 universities across 93 countries and regions across the world featured in 2021 THE World University Rankings.
“The rankings are based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.
“This year’s ranking analysed more than 80 million citations across over 13 million research publications and included survey responses from 22,000 scholars globally.
“Trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, this year’s league table provides great insight into the shifting balance of power in global higher education,” THE said on its website.
Summary of the six Nigerian universities in 2021 THE World University Rankings:
1. UI (401 – 500)
2. LASU (501 – 600)
3. UNILAG (601- 800)
4. Covenant University (801 – 1000)
5. UNN (1001+)
6. OAU (1001+)
