Best universities in Nigeria 2023

Top 9 universities in Nigeria

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Nigeria

Nigeria is a country on a steep ascent. Its economy and its population are growing steadily and are only set to keep expanding.

Proportionally, the youth population is one of the largest in the world, and the country has a blossoming higher education sector.

Although only 12 universities feature in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the country is home to almost 130 institutions. Some of these are owned by the federal and state governments, while 50 are privately owned.

Top 3 universities in Nigeria

3. Covenant University

Covenant University was established in 2002 by the World Mission Agency and the Living Faith Church Worldwide. It is a private Pentecostal Christian university located in Ota, Nigeria.

The university is organised into four colleges: the College of Business and Social Sciences; College of Leadership and Development Studies; College of Engineering, and the College of Science and Technology. Each college offers a range of degree programmes and vocational courses.

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A day in the life of a student in Nigeria

=1. University of Lagos

The University of Lagos was founded in 1962 and has three campuses in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital. These are: the Main Campus at Akoka (which is largely surrounded by the scenic view of the Lagos lagoon), the School of Radiography at Yaba, and its College of Medicine, at Idi-Araba, Surulere.

The university offers over 86 undergraduate and 140 postgraduate programmes spread across 12 faculties and five institutes. 

There are also 10 research centres, some of which are Centres of Excellence and over a hundred research groups. Some of the research being undertaken at the university include drug research and herbal medicine, economic policy analysis and autism and neuro development disorders among others.

=1. University of Ibadan

The University of Ibadan began with just three departments – science, medicine and the arts – but has since expanded to take in 13 faculties, including social sciences, agriculture and forestry, education, technology, law and dentistry.

The founding mission of the university was to make education available to all. It has a well-established Distance Learning Centre where students who have financial or familial barriers are able to study.

Ibadan also has its own zoological and botanical gardens filled with many endangered animals and plants, and a number of conservation programmes are supported.

The best universities in Nigeria 2023

Click on each institution to see its full World University Rankings 2023 results