By Chinonso Vincent

BREAKING: Covenant University & UNN Break into Times Higher Education (THE) top 1000 World Rankings; CU Topples UI as best in Nigeria.


Three Nigerian Universities including The University of Ibadan (UI), The University of Nigeria (UNN), and Covenant University (CU) made it this time into Times Higher education list of the World Best Universities - in the just published 2018/2019 edition of The reputable THE rankings.

The THE world ranking evaluates world-class universities against 13 separate performance indicators, covering the full range of a top university’s essential areas of activity: research; interaction with business; international outlook; and, uniquely, the teaching environment.
THE’s rich data has become very vital for governments and policymakers across the globe. The resource is useful for students and also widely used by faculty to inform career decisions, by university leaders to help set strategic priorities and also by governments to help monitor policy. This is because the THE World University Rankings are based on one of the richest databases of university performance in the world.

This year’s list of the best world best universities was led by The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, both retaining their top spots in the first and second positions consecutively for the second year in a row.

Yale University happened to be the only newcomer to the top 10, joining elite varsities at eighth place, up from the 12th position it claimed in the previous 2017/18 edition. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s ETH Zurich dropped out from this elite group, from it's previously held joint 10th place to 11th place.

The ranking unraveled good news for education in Asia, as Japan (with 103 institutions) has overtaken the UK (which has 98 institutions represented) as the second to the United States, with the most-represented nation in the world in the THE ranking.

Overall, a total of 86 countries were represented in the ranking, including Iraq, Jamaica, Nepal, Tanzania, and Kazakhstan which made it for the first time.

The University of Cape Town continued to remain the best-ranked university in Africa, attaining a remarkable position of 156th in the world.

Covenant University broke the ranks in the 2018/19 edition Times Higher education ranking finishing ahead of The University of Ghana and The University of Ibadan to claim the Number 1 spot in West Africa. Nigerian universities performed better in this year's edition of the ranking as The University of Ibadan (CU) which is the only Nigerian University that finished among the top 1000 in the past three editions of the reputable ranking improved in the ranking, although placed in the same category (601-800th) as CU. This is a huge feat for CU, being one of the youngest Nigerian universities ever listed on THE database.

Another Nigerian University that remarkably broke into the top ranking is the University of Nigeria, Nsukka which finished in the 1001+ category, as the ranking size was increased to recognized well-performing universities.

The University of Ibadan is not new to the THE ranking having ranked 978th in the 2016/2017 edition, and was also ranked in the previous edition (2015/2016) before that. https://www.nairaland.com/3365598/university-ibadan-ranks-978-top.

No doubt, the Times Higher Education (THE) is one of the most prestigious and objective platforms for ranking of universities globally. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, founded in 2004, provides the definitive list of the world’s best universities, using a carefully balanced and comprehensive methodology that was developed after more than a decade of working in consultation with the world’s leading universities.

The THE 2018/2019 ranking performance indicators are grouped into five areas: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).

- Teaching accounts for 30% of the ranking by weight, as follows:
Reputation survey: 15%
Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ration: 2.25%
Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
Institutional income: 2.25%

- Research (volume, income and reputation) accounts for 30% of the ranking as follows
Reputation survey: 18%
Research income: 6%
Research productivity: 6%

- Citations (as an indicator of research influence) accounts for 30% of the ranking weight.

- International outlook (staff, students, research) accounts for 7.5% of the ranking weight as follows:
The proportion of international students: 2.5%
The proportion of international staff: 2.5%
International collaboration: 2.5%

And Industry income (knowledge transfer) accounts for 2.5% of the total ranking score.

BELOW ARE THE TOP 3 UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA ACCORDING TO THE TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION 2018/2019 RANKING

1. Covenant University, Ota (CU).

2. University of Ibadan, Ibadan (UI).

3. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

The estimations of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 was independently audited by The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to ensure that the ranking is subjected to full, independent scrutiny.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/NG/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats

Before their Alumni come to rant here, LET ME QUICKLY REMIND THEM THAT SUCCESS IS NOT ABOUT ATTENDING THE BEST SCHOOL(S). Congratulations.

When you hear about how Covenant University,an experiment in how long young humans can be mentally subjugated without fighting back and a factory producing subservient morons being top 1000 in the world.....lala
who says there is no hope for your life too?

FP material, lalasticlala mynd44

The future of the tertiary education is in private university,the best thing as a young parent you can do for your young kids is to open a college savings for your kids so that they can go to covenant or any other good private university

TheVictorious.. can you provide the specific positions of ui and covenant university.. since u claim ui is now in second position.

Interesting. Covenant University is breaking new grounds.

nice to see covenant university achieve this feat within few years.. this shows that it is a school with vision..

where's oau btw.. it's almost like nothing goes on in that place again.. except for its students shouting oba awon university about..

teee2:
TheVictorious.. can you provide the specific positions of ui and covenant university.. since u claim ui is now in second position.

CU: 637, UI: 676.

Pulse has also published: https://www.pulse.ng/communities/student/covenant-university-is-among-top-700-universities-in-the-world-id8905970.html

mayprince:
When you hear about how Covenant University,an experiment in how long young humans can be mentally subjugated without fighting back and a factory producing subservient morons being top 1000 in the world.....lala
who says there is no hope for your life too?

FP material, lalasticlala mynd44

Covenant university is a religious university and expectedly has religious rules. Ever heard of Liberty Uni, Virginia USA where students can not miss more than one chapel service in one semester or Faisal University, Saudi(girls only) where men are barred from entering campus.

Covenant didn't force anyone to attend, and they are not stopping anyone from taking their transcripts and going somewhere either. Anyone that can pay for CU can afford to go somewhwere else....

Thevictorious it is exciting seeing CU rank equal with the likes of Coventry and co. This ranking would usher in unprecedented amounts of grants, funded scholars and foreign collaborations. With the rate at which CU is going it would break into top 400 next year.

TheVictorious:


CU: 637, UI: 676.

Pulse has also published: https://www.pulse.ng/communities/student/covenant-university-is-among-top-700-universities-in-the-world-id8905970.html

make sense.. I bet they are ranked than some foreign universities Nigerians run to..

teee2:


make sense.. I bet they are ranked than some foreign universities Nigerians run to..

Exactly. Currently one of the highest in Africa officially!

HigherEd:
Thevictorious it is exciting seeing CU rank equal with the likes of Coventry and co. This ranking would usher in unprecedented amounts of grants, funded scholars and foreign collaborations. With the rate at which CU is going it would break into top 400 next year.

true.. I saw somewhere that the research output they have made as at September this year, is more than their total research output for last year already..

good to see them setting the standard for other universities to catch up with..

teee2:
nice to see covenant university achieve this feat within few years.. this shows that it is a school with vision..

where's oau btw.. it's almost like nothing goes on in that place again.. except for its students shouting oba awon university about..

Sorry, Correction:

636th - Covenant University

667th - University of Ibadan

1161st - University of Nigeria Nsukka

HigherEd:
Thevictorious it is exciting seeing CU rank equal with the likes of Coventry and co. This ranking would usher in unprecedented amounts of grants, funded scholars and foreign collaborations. With the rate at which CU is going it would break into top 400 next year.

Yes sir!

CU has always been better than UI in the parameters in recent times, but the fact that they had not met the minimum criterion to be officially ranked wearried their efforts. It can only get better now that they are starting out on a position the no Nigerian university has come close to. 636th!!!

Gradually we are coming to claim our rightfully position that became redundant for some years.

Great Lions and lionesses!

TINTINABULATION:
Before their Alumni come to rant here, LET ME QUICKLY REMIND THEM THAT SUCCESS IS NOT ABOUT ATTENDING THE BEST SCHOOL(S). Congratulations.

Stop the nonsense abeg. Congratulate them if you wish to. It's a nice development coming from CU and UI. CU is making great wave and apparently, it's just getting started.

teee2:

true.. I saw somewhere that the research output they have made as at September this year, is more than their total research output for last year already..

good to see them setting the standard for other universities to catch up with..

Yes their research activity for 2018 alone is more than four times higher than all its research effort in the first 10 years combined. If they continue at this pace, research breakthroughs wouldn't be far away from them.

teee2:
nice to see covenant university achieve this feat within few years.. this shows that it is a school with vision..

where's oau btw.. it's almost like nothing goes on in that place again.. except for its students shouting oba awon university about..

Ha ha ha... This is a hint that school reputation in Nigeria will no longer be determined by who has the largest crowd screaming ... oba awon unifasiti !!!
Education isn't a game of pride but there for both the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.

TINTINABULATION:
Before their Alumni come to rant here, LET ME QUICKLY REMIND THEM THAT SUCCESS IS NOT ABOUT ATTENDING THE BEST SCHOOL(S). Congratulations.

Nobody is saying success is by school. As a matter of fact success isn't by crowd mentality also. Even if the HR of all oil companies are from a particular school and they use their connection or form a
confederation.

teee2:


make sense.. I bet they are ranked than some foreign universities Nigerians run to..

Yea sure, they are higher than Coventry uni, UK. Univ of East London. Amazingly the organization that ranked it is a british org.

teee2:

true.. I saw somewhere that the research output they have made as at September this year, is more than their total research output for last year already..

good to see them setting the standard for other universities to catch up with..

True. And mind you that of last year is higher than that of UI!

CodeTemplar:
Ha ha ha... This is a hint that school reputation in Nigeria will no longer be determined by who has the largest crowd screaming ... oba awon unifasiti !!!
Education isn't a game of pride but there for both the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.

Now this got me really laughing but it couldn't be any more true.

TheVictorious:


Now this got me really laughing but it couldn't be any more true.

There is even another thread in education section rating schools by landmass.
Landmass is something given to schools by govt.

TheVictorious:


True. And mind you that of last year is higher than that of UI!

HigherEd created a post on that not too long ago.. I think covenant was behind oau and ui in the overall output.

CodeTemplar:
There is even another thread in education section rating schools by landmass.
Landmass is something given to schools by govt.

Really? Nigerians won't cease to amaze me

teee2:

HigherEd created a post on that not too long ago.. I think covenant was behind oau and ui in the overall output.

Did I just see you mentioned OAU? guy wake up we are talking about THE, not webometrics.

Poor people would say just about anything. Fear them.

mayprince:
When you hear about how Covenant University,an experiment in how long young humans can be mentally subjugated without fighting back and a factory producing subservient morons being top 1000 in the world.....lala
who says there is no hope for your life too?

FP material, lalasticlala mynd44

TheVictorious:


Did I just see you mentioned OAU? guy wake up we are talking about THE, not webometrics.

check it out
https://www.nairaland.com/4725630/university-ibadan-oau-covenant-lead

writerights:


Stop the nonsense abeg. Congratulate them if you wish to. It's a nice development coming from CU and UI. CU is making great wave and apparently, it's just getting started.

Blind Bartimaeus, didn't you see 'Congratulations' at the end of my submission?

teee2:

check it out
https://www.nairaland.com/4725630/university-ibadan-oau-covenant-lead

Scival raw data bro. OAU wasn't part of the school surveyed in this year's THE. They are a new addition to the THE database (alongside Unilag and Bells uni) and their profile hasn't even been created yet.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/obafemi-awolowo-university-oau

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/where-to-study/study-in-nigeria