The Federal Government has set December 15, 2026, as the deadline for completing a nationwide ranking of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The exercise is being coordinated by the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC) under the Federal Ministry of Education.
The ranking initiative is intended to establish a framework for assessing institutional performance, identifying areas requiring improvement and encouraging competition among public and private tertiary institutions.
NiTERAC Chairman, Professor Peter Okebukola, disclosed the deadline in a presentation on Nigeria’s performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, dated September 30, 2026.
Focus on Institutional Performance
A national ranking system can provide a basis for comparing institutions across indicators such as teaching, research, learning resources and institutional performance, depending on the methodology adopted.
For the exercise to provide meaningful results, the criteria, data sources and assessment procedures will be important in determining how institutions are evaluated.
The proposed deadline places the ranking exercise among the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assess the performance of Nigeria’s tertiary education system and identify opportunities for improvement.
Further details on the indicators, weighting system and publication of the final rankings will be important to institutions, prospective students and other stakeholders.