Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has made its debut in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, emerging as Nigeria’s highest-ranked state-owned university and securing a joint eighth position nationally.
According to a statement by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, released on Wednesday, the 2027 ranking, published on September 30, placed UNIOSUN in the 1,201–1,400 global band, alongside Babcock University and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The latest ranking assessed 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories. Nigeria had 29 universities ranked, making it the most represented country in sub-Saharan Africa.
UNIOSUN recorded notable performances across several of the ranking indicators. The university scored 25.6 in Research Environment, the second-highest score among the 29 ranked Nigerian universities, behind Covenant University’s 32.5.
It also scored 23.6 in Teaching, placing fifth nationally. Its other scores were 43.8 in Research Quality, 17.6 in Industry and 40.3 in International Outlook.
The report described UNIOSUN as a new entrant and highlighted its performance in Research Environment and Teaching as notable strengths, while identifying Research Quality as an area with room for further improvement.
The Times Higher Education ranking is based on five broad pillars: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook and Industry. The 2027 methodology comprises 18 performance indicators covering areas including teaching reputation, research productivity and quality, citations, international collaboration, industry income and patents.
The report also described UNIOSUN’s debut in the 1,201–1,400 band as noteworthy, noting that the university ranked ahead of 19 older and larger Nigerian universities.
Only seven state-owned universities were among the 29 Nigerian universities ranked in the 2027 edition, compared with 19 federal and three private universities. UNIOSUN consequently emerged as the highest-ranked state university in the country.
The university’s strong performance in Research Environment is particularly significant, given that the pillar had a national mean score of 13.9. UNIOSUN’s score of 25.6 was substantially above that average.
Similarly, its Teaching score of 23.6 was above the national mean of 20.6, placing the university among the five highest-scoring institutions nationally in the category.
The latest ranking comes amid the university’s sustained emphasis on research, innovation, postgraduate development, international collaboration and quality assurance as key components of its institutional development agenda.
Reacting to the development, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye, commended the Osun State Government and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the institution’s growth.
Adebooye said the university would continue to build on the achievement and pursue initiatives aimed at strengthening its academic and research profile and positioning it for greater global recognition.
The 2027 THE ranking represents a significant milestone in UNIOSUN’s development and provides an external benchmark of its performance in teaching, research, international outlook and industry engagement.
With its debut in the 1,201–1,400 global band, joint eighth position nationally and emergence as Nigeria’s highest-ranked state university, UNIOSUN has further strengthened its position within Nigeria’s competitive higher education landscape.