The other institutions are Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; and the University of Ilorin.
The Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement, said the development followed reforms initiated by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who directed the Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee, led by Professor Peter Okebukola, to commence the 2026 ranking of higher institutions ahead of the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
According to the ministry, 29 Nigerian universities, including UNIBEN, secured places in the THE World University Rankings, compared with 24 in the 2026 ranking.
It said the assessment framework designed by the committee was expected to promote institutional visibility, healthy competition among Nigerian universities and global competitiveness.
The ministry identified research quality output as the strongest performance pillar in the ranking indicators.
As part of efforts to improve its research visibility, the management of UNIBEN recently directed academic staff to update their Google Scholar profiles in an exercise coordinated by the university’s Directorate of Academic Planning.
The exercise has so far captured more than 1,200 academics, placing UNIBEN at the top of the list among Nigerian universities participating in the exercise.
The university said the exercise would continue until Monday, October 5.
The statement was made available by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehanire.
