South Africa and Egypt have dominated the list of the top ten universities on the African continent, according to the 2026-2027 Best Global Universities rankings by the U.S. News & World Report. The universities were assessed based on academic research performance, global reputation, and regional reputation.
Regional Dominance
According to the ranking, South Africa has four universities while Egypt has five in the top ten. As reported by Business Insider Africa, both countries account for nine of the top 10 universities in the continent. Nigeria's University of Ibadan, in Oyo State, is the only Nigerian and West Africa's highest-ranked university, placing fourth in Africa and 264th globally.
Top 10 Universities in Africa
The University of Cape Town (South Africa) is ranked first in Africa and 122nd globally. Cairo University (Egypt) occupies the second spot in Africa and 221st in the world. The University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) is third in Africa and 240th globally. The University of Ibadan (Nigeria) is the only Nigerian institution in the continent's top 10, placing fourth in Africa and 264th globally. Mansoura University (Egypt) is fifth in Africa and 267th globally. Al-Azhar University (Egypt) is sixth in Africa and 279th globally. The University of Johannesburg (South Africa) is seventh in Africa and 281st globally. Ain Shams University (Egypt) is eighth in Africa and 290th globally. Stellenbosch University (South Africa) is ninth in Africa and 299th globally. Alexandria University (Egypt) completes the list, ranked 10th in Africa and 304th globally.
Nigeria's Representation
Recall that university rankings are essential for evaluating higher education competitiveness throughout the world. The University of Ibadan stands out as Nigeria's top institution in global rankings. Federal institutions overwhelmingly dominated Nigeria's representation in the latest U.S. News global universities ranking.
Previous Rankings
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) released its 2026 Global 2000 list of top universities. According to CWUR, 21,291 institutions were evaluated, with only the highest-performing universities making it into the Global 2000 list. In those rankings, five Nigerian universities were featured among the 2,000 top tertiary institutions worldwide.
