Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027: UCT Tops African Universities

Cape Town – The University of Cape Town is Africa’s top institution according to the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.

The South African university climbs back into the global top 150 with a place at joint 147th, its best position in seven years.

In the rankings, South Africa is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa with universities ranking within the global top 200 and top 500

Three universities from Nigeria, two from Ghana and one from Uganda are in the 801-1 000 band.

Nigeria has added five universities to the rankings since last year, and South Africa has added four.

Ghana has five institutions in the rankings.

Malawi has a university ranked for the first time.

Ethiopia returns to the rankings, with Mekelle University joining the 1 201-1 400 band.

Nigeria is the best represented country in the region, with 29 institutions in the rankings.

A total of 69 universities from 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are in the rankings.

This is an improvement on last year’s exercise, which featured 55 universities from 14 countries or territories.

Albania also makes its debut in the latest ranking.

United Kingdom’s University of Oxford retains its position as world number one for the 11th consecutive year.

Record 2 297 institutions ranked overall, an increase of 106 on last year’s total.

At least 118 countries and territories were represented, three more than last year.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the most comprehensive and balanced assessment of global research universities.

It is built on an analysis of almost 20 million research papers, close to one million votes in an Academic Reputation Survey, and detailed institutional data on more than 3 000 universities worldwide.

The rankings were launched at the World Academic Summit hosted by the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Top 10 universities in sub-Saharan Africa in the World University Rankings 2027

Institution	Country/territory	Rank 2027	Rank 2026
University of Cape Town	South Africa	=147	=164
University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa	301-325	301-350
Stellenbosch University	South Africa	326-350	301-350
University of Johannesburg	South Africa	351-375	351-400

University of Pretoria	South Africa	451-500	501-600
University of KwaZulu-Natal	South Africa	501-550	501-600
University of the Western Cape	South Africa	701-800	601-800
Covenant University	Nigeria	801-1,000	1,001-1,200
Makerere University	Uganda	801-1,000	801-1,000
North-West University	South Africa	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Cape Coast	Ghana	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Ghana	Ghana	801-1,000	1,001-1,200
University of Ibadan	Nigeria	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Lagos	Nigeria	801-1,000	801-1,000

*Graphic credit: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (https://apo-opa.co/4ynyH6V)

Overview

South Africa remains the region’s higher education leader. Its top-ranked institution is again the University of Cape Town, which has rejoined the global top 150 for the first time since the 2020 edition in joint 147th position.

South Africa has five universities in the world top 500. Its second highest ranked university is the University of the Witwatersrand in band 301-325.

The next highest ranking countries in sub-Saharan Africa are Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana, which join South Africa among the top 1 000 universities globally.

Nigeria’s joint leading university, Covenant University, has climbed back into the top 1,000 in band 801-1,000.

A total of 69 universities from 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa feature in the rankings. This is an improvement over last year’s exercise, which featured 55 universities from 14 countries.

With 29 institutions in the rankings, Nigeria is the best represented country in the region. It has

three institutions in the top 1,000: the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos are also in the 801-1,000 band.

Ethiopia reappears in the rankings thanks to Mekelle University, which is in the 1,201-1,400 band.

Malawi makes its rankings debut with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in the 1,201-1,400 band.

Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, said: “Make no mistake: Africa is a growing force in the geopolitics of knowledge, and its universities are earning a growing presence on the world stage.

“The Times Higher Education World University Rankings measure what matters most to sector leaders, strategists and policymakers: research excellence and impact; the teaching environment; global academic standing; links with industry beyond the ivory towers; and international talent attraction, reach and influence. And they have a high entry threshold.

“Across the rankings, Africa is dramatically increasing its representation and is also displaying genuine global strength and standing.

“Africa south of the Sahara not only has a university back in the world top 150, it has more institutions represented on the global stage in the elite university rankings than ever before (69, up from 55), from more nations (16) than ever.”

Countries/territories represented in sub-Saharan Africa in the World University Rankings 2027

Country/territory	No of universitiesranked	Top university	Rank 2027
Nigeria	29	Covenant University	801–1,000
		University of Ibadan	801–1,000
		University of Lagos	801–1,000
South Africa	17	University of Cape Town	=147
Ghana	5	University of Cape Coast	801–1,000
		University of Ghana	801–1,000
Tanzania	3	Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences	1,601–1,801
Uganda	2	Makerere University	801–1,000
Botswana	2	University of Botswana	1,201–1,400
Kenya	2	University of Nairobi	1,601–1,800
Ethiopia	1	Mekelle University	1,201–1,400
Malawi	1	Kamuzu University of Health Sciences	1,201–1,400
Mauritius	1	University of Mauritius	1,401–1,600
Mozambique	1	Universidade Eduardo Mondlane	1,401–1,600
Zimbabwe	1	University of Zimbabwe	1,601–1,801
Namibia	1	University of Namibia	1,801–2,000
Rwanda	1	University of Rwanda	1,801–2,000
Zambia	1	University of Zambia	1,801–2,000
Senegal	1	Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD)	2,001+

*Graphic credit: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (https://apo-opa.co/4ynyH6V)

Country highlights

South African flagship returns to global top 150

South Africa remains the region’s higher education leader. Its flagship is the University of Cape Town, which has returned to the global top 150 with its joint 147th position.

South Africa has five top 500 universities and eight in the top 1,000.

The University of Pretoria registers its highest showing yet, in the 451-500 band.

With 17 universities in the ranking, South Africa is the second most represented country in the region. It is behind only Nigeria, which boasts 29 universities in the table.

Nigeria shows up in numbers

Nigeria has 29 ranked universities, five more than it had last year. It is by far the best represented country in the region. South Africa has the second most, with 17 universities.

Nigeria has three institutions in the global top 1,000: Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos, which are all in the 801-1,000 band. The country also has four

universities in the 1,001-1,200 band.

Its new representatives include Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

With its handful of universities, Ghana is the third best represented country in the region. Its five institutions are led by the University of Cape Coast and the University of Ghana, both of which sit among the 801-1 000 band.

Tanzania fields the next most universities, three, led by Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in the 1 601-1 800 band.

Botswana, Kenya and Uganda each have two representatives. The highest ranked of those is

Uganda’s Makerere University in the 801-1 000 band.

The highest-ranked institution in Kenya is the University of Nairobi, which sits in the 1 601-1 800 band.

Botswana’s leading representative is the University of Botswana, which occupies the 1 201-1 400 band.

New to the rankings this year is Malawi. Its Kamuzu University of Health Sciences has joined the 1 201-1 400 band of universities.

In that same band is another regional debutant, Mekelle University, which flies the flag for Ethiopia.

Top 10 universities overall in the World University Rankings 2027

Institution	Country/territory	Rank 2027	Rank 2026
University of Oxford	United Kingdom	1	1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	United States	2	2
Princeton University	United States	=3	=3
Stanford University	United States	=3	=5
University of Cambridge	United Kingdom	5	=3
Harvard University	United States	6	=5
California Institute of Technology	United States	7	7
Imperial College London	United Kingdom	8	8
University of California, Berkeley	United States	=9	9
Yale University	United States	=9	10

*Graphic credit: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (https://apo-opa.co/4ynyH6V)

All ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa in the World University Rankings 2027

Institution	Country/territory	Rank 2027	Rank 2026
University of Cape Town	South Africa	=147	=164
University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa	301-325	301-350
Stellenbosch University	South Africa	326-350	301-350
University of Johannesburg	South Africa	351-375	351-400
University of Pretoria	South Africa	451-500	501-600
University of KwaZulu-Natal	South Africa	501-550	501-600
University of the Western Cape	South Africa	701-800	601-800
Covenant University	Nigeria	801-1,000	1,001-1,200
Makerere University	Uganda	801-1,000	801-1,000
North-West University	South Africa	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Cape Coast	Ghana	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Ghana	Ghana	801-1,000	1,001-1,200
University of Ibadan	Nigeria	801-1,000	801-1,000
University of Lagos	Nigeria	801-1,000	801-1,000
Ahmadu Bello University	Nigeria	1,001-1,200	1,201-1,500
Bayero University	Nigeria	1,001-1,200	1,001-1,200
Landmark University	Nigeria	1,001-1,200	1,001-1,200
University of Ilorin	Nigeria	1,001-1,200	1,201-1,500
Babcock University	Nigeria	1,201-1,400	1,501+
Durban University of Technology	South Africa	1,201-1,400	1,501+
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences	Malawi	1,201-1,400	NR
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology	Ghana	1,201-1,400	1,201-1,500
Mekelle University	Ethiopia	1,201-1,400	NR
Osun State University	Nigeria	1,201-1,400	NR
University of Botswana	Botswana	1,201-1,400	1,001-1,200
University of Nigeria Nsukka	Nigeria	1,201-1,400	1,201-1,500
University of South Africa	South Africa	1,201-1,400	1,201-1,500
University of the Free State	South Africa	1,201-1,400	1,001-1,200
Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)	Botswana	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
Federal University of Technology, Minna	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
Nelson Mandela University	South Africa	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
Nnamdi Azikiwe University	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	1,501+
Obafemi Awolowo University	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	1,501+
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University	South Africa	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
Universidade Eduardo Mondlane	Mozambique	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
University of Benin	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	1,501+

University of Jos	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
University of Maiduguri	Nigeria	1,401-1,600	NR
University of Mauritius	Mauritius	1,401-1,600	1,201-1,500
Federal University of Technology Akure	Nigeria	1,601-1,800	1,501+
Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)	Uganda	1,601-1,800	NR
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences	Tanzania	1,601-1,800	1,501+
University for Development Studies	Ghana	1,601-1,800	1,501+
University of Nairobi	Kenya	1,601-1,800	1,501+
University of Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe	1,601-1,800	1,501+
Federal University of Technology, Owerri	Nigeria	1,801-2,000	1,501+
iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu	South Africa	1,801-2,000	NR
Kenyatta University	Kenya	1,801-2,000	1,501+
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology	Nigeria	1,801-2,000	1,501+
Lagos State University	Nigeria	1,801-2,000	1,501+
Olabisi Onabanjo University	Nigeria	1,801-2,000	NR
Tshwane University of Technology	South Africa	1,801-2,000	NR
University of Calabar	Nigeria	1,801-2,000	1,501+
University of Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	1,801-2,000	1,501+
University of Energy and Natural Resources	Ghana	1,801-2,000	NR
University of Namibia	Namibia	1,801-2,000	1,501+
University of Rwanda	Rwanda	1,801-2,000	1,501+
University of Venda	South Africa	1,801-2,000	NR
University of Zambia	Zambia	1,801-2,000	1,501+
Vaal University of Technology	South Africa	1,801-2,000	NR
Delta State University, Abraka	Nigeria	2,001+	1,501+
Ekiti State University	Nigeria	2,001+	1,501+
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta	Nigeria	2,001+	1,501+
Federal University Oye-Ekiti	Nigeria	2,001+	1,501+
Kwara State University	Nigeria	2,001+	NR
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike	Nigeria	2,001+	NR
Sokoine University of Agriculture	Tanzania	2,001+	NR
Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD)	Senegal	2,001+	1,501+
University of Port Harcourt	Nigeria	2,001+	1,501+

*Graphic credit: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (https://apo-opa.co/4ynyH6V)

World University Rankings 2027: global top 100

Institution	Country/territory	Rank2027	Rank2026
University of Oxford	United Kingdom	1	1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	United States	2	2
Princeton University	United States	=3	=3
Stanford University	United States	=3	=5
University of Cambridge	United Kingdom	5	=3
Harvard University	United States	6	=5
California Institute of Technology	United States	7	7
Imperial College London	United Kingdom	8	8
University of California, Berkeley	United States	=9	9
Yale University	United States	=9	10
Tsinghua University	China	11	12
ETH Zurich	Switzerland	12	11
Peking University	China	13	13
University of Pennsylvania	United States	14	14
National University of Singapore	Singapore	15	17
The University of Chicago	United States	16	15
Johns Hopkins University	United States	=17	16
UCL	United Kingdom	=17	22
Columbia University	United States	19	20
University of California, Los Angeles	United States	20	=18
Cornell University	United States	21	=18
University of Toronto	Canada	22	21
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	United States	23	23
Carnegie Mellon University	United States	24	24
Technical University of Munich	Germany	25	27
University of Washington	United States	26	25
The University of Tokyo	Japan	27	26
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	Singapore	28	=31
New York University (NYU)	United States	=29	NR
Northwestern University	United States	=29	30
University of Edinburgh	United Kingdom	=29	29
Duke University	United States	32	28
University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	33	33
University of Melbourne	Australia	=34	37
Zhejiang University	China	=34	39
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Switzerland	36	35
University of California, San Diego	United States	37	47
Fudan University	China	38	36
Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	39	40
King’s College London	United Kingdom	40	38
LMU Munich	Germany	41	34
The Chinese University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	42	=41
McGill University	Canada	43	=41
University of British Columbia	Canada	44	45
KU Leuven	Belgium	=45	46

Universität Heidelberg	Germany	=45	49
London School of Economics and Political Science	United Kingdom	47	52
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	United States	48	=41
Georgia Institute of Technology	United States	49	=41
Delft University of Technology	Netherlands	50	57
The University of Sydney	Australia	=51	=53
University of Science and Technology of China	China	=51	51
University of Texas at Austin	United States	=53	50
University of Wisconsin-Madison	United States	=53	=53
Karolinska Institute	Sweden	55	=53
Seoul National University	South Korea	56	=58
Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris	France	57	48
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	Hong Kong	58	=58
Nanjing University	China	59	=62
University of Manchester	United Kingdom	60	56
Monash University	Australia	61	=58
Kyoto University	Japan	=62	61
University of Amsterdam	Netherlands	=62	=62
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)	South Korea	64	=70
University of California, Davis	United States	65	64
Wageningen University & Research	Netherlands	=66	66
Washington University in St Louis	United States	=66	67
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)	South Korea	68	87
Leiden University	Netherlands	69	=70
City University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	70	73
University of California, Santa Barbara	United States	=71	72
University of Southern California	United States	=71	=73
Brown University	United States	=73	65
The University of Queensland	Australia	=73	=80
Institut Polytechnique de Paris	France	=75	=68
UNSW Sydney	Australia	=75	79
Australian National University	Australia	77	=73
Université Paris-Saclay	France	78	=68
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University	Hong Kong	79	80
Yonsei University (Seoul campus)	South Korea	80	86
University of Copenhagen	Denmark	81	90
University of Bristol	United Kingdom	82	=80
University of Glasgow	United Kingdom	83	84
Purdue University West Lafayette	United States	84	85
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	United States	85	78
Boston University	United States	86	=76
University of Groningen	Netherlands	87	82
University of Minnesota	United States	88	88

University of Bonn	Germany	89	=92
RWTH Aachen University	Germany	90	=92
Humboldt University of Berlin	Germany	91	89
Vanderbilt University	United States	92	=92
Michigan State University	United States	93	=105
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin	Germany	94	91
University of Vienna	Austria	95	=95
Harbin Institute of Technology	China	96	=131
Aarhus University	Denmark	=97	101
Ohio State University (Main campus)	United States	=97	=108
University of Birmingham	United Kingdom	=97	=98
University of California, Irvine	United States	=97	97

*Graphic credit: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (https://apo-opa.co/4ynyH6V)

Methodology

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge

transfer and international outlook. We use 17 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.

The performance indicators are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment);

Research environment (volume, income and reputation); Research quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence and research influence); International outlook (staff, students and

research); and Industry (income and patents).

Teaching reputation is the highest weighted metric under teaching, and this is underpinned by our most recent Academic Reputation Survey (run annually by THE) carried out between November 2025 and February 2026.

New banding in this year’s edition of the ranking will provide more granularity and offer ranked.

universities greater insight into their performance. The ranking features individual ranks up to 300 – last year it was up to 200 – and then smaller bands moving down the table in groups of 25, then 50, 100 and 200.

There are 18 bands altogether, up from 11 last year, going from 301-325 down to 2 001+.