The University of Ibadan, a leading public university in Ibadan, Oyo State, south-western Nigeria, has been ranked Nigeria’s top institution for both Law and Medical and Health subjects in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2026.
Okay News reports that the 2026 subject rankings, published by Times Higher Education, a United Kingdom-based higher education data and ranking organisation, place the University of Ibadan (UI) ahead of other Nigerian universities listed in the same fields.
In the Law ranking, the University of Ibadan and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a federal university in Enugu State in south-east Nigeria, were both placed in the 301–400 band. This put Nigeria on the list of 425 universities globally assessed for Law in the 2026 edition.
Times Higher Education said its Law ranking measures performance across key areas such as teaching quality, research strength, international outlook, and subject-based performance. It also noted that the assessment covers core branches of the discipline, including constitutional and administrative law, criminal law and justice, commercial and corporate law, international law, and legal theory and jurisprudence.
At the global level, Stanford University, a private research university in California, United States, was ranked first in the Law category for teaching excellence.
For Medicine and Health, Times Higher Education explained that the ranking evaluates universities across medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other healthcare-related disciplines, using a set of performance measures designed for the field.
The ranking body said the University of Oxford, a historic university in Oxford, England, United Kingdom, led the global table due to strong results in teaching, research, and industry links, while the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in California, United States, was listed among the top 10.
Times Higher Education also stated that it assessed 1,230 universities across 102 countries and territories for the Medical and Health subject table, applying 18 performance indicators aligned with the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, with adjustments to fit medical and health disciplines.
Within Nigeria’s placements in Medical and Health, the University of Ibadan led in the 301–400 band, while the University of Lagos, a federal university in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, followed in the 401–500 band.
Other Nigerian institutions placed in the 601–800 band were Ahmadu Bello University, a major federal university in Zaria, Kaduna State in northern Nigeria; Bayero University, a federal university in Kano State in northern Nigeria; the University of Benin, a public university in Edo State in southern Nigeria; the University of Jos, a public university in Plateau State in north-central Nigeria; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Times Higher Education also listed Babcock University, a private university in Ogun State in south-west Nigeria; Obafemi Awolowo University, a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State in south-west Nigeria; and the University of Ilorin, a federal university in Kwara State in north-central Nigeria, in the 801–1000 band.
Other institutions, including Lagos State University, a state-owned university in Lagos, Nigeria, and the University of Port Harcourt, a federal university in Rivers State in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria, appeared in the 1001+ category.
