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By Sola Rotimi
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has emerged as Nigeria’s number one university in Research Quality in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
UNILORIN scored 69.4 per cent in the Research Quality category, the highest score recorded by any Nigerian university ranked in the latest edition of the global rankings.
The latest ranking was released on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the World Academic Summit hosted by the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
According to a statement issued by the University’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Kunle Akogun, the THE World University Rankings assess universities across five major pillars: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook and Industry.
The University Ranking Implementation Project Manager, Professor Suleiman Folorunso Ambali, said Research Quality remained UNILORIN’s strongest area, adding that the University would seek to translate the achievement into greater international recognition.
Prof. Ambali also said the University would work towards moving into the 801–1000 global ranking band in the next edition of the rankings.
An analysis of the latest results, according to the University, shows that UNILORIN has moved from the 1201–1500 band in the previous ranking to the 1001–1200 global band.
Mr Akogun said the development places UNILORIN among the seven Nigerian universities ranked within the global top 1,200.
He added that UNILORIN ranked ahead of the University of Lagos, Bayero University, Kano, and the University of Ibadan in Research Quality, a category which accounts for 30 per cent of the overall THE ranking score and assesses the influence and reach of university research, including how widely research is cited by scholars globally.
Reacting to the development, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, described the result as a reflection of years of sustained scholarship and research contributions by members of the University community.
Prof. Egbewole said the achievement was not accidental but reflected the work of academics whose research continues to attract attention and citations internationally.
The Vice Chancellor expressed appreciation to lecturers, researchers, postgraduate supervisors and students whose scholarly contributions, he said, played a role in the University’s improved performance.
