The University of Ibadan has declared that the institution has been ranked the best in the West African sub-region and among the 500 top universities in the world.

Reacting to the feat in a statement, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Idowu Olayinka, expressed appreciation to everyone involved in the UI project, acknowledging that the feat is the school’s best in recent times.

Other schools from Nigeria that were ranked are Lagos State University, Ojo, University of Lagos, Akoka, Covenant University Otta, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.

The statement reads: "The Times Higher Education (THE) has today, 2nd September 2020, released its World University Rankings 2021.

"It is gratifying to note that the University of Ibadan has been ranked in the 401- 500 band.

"This is our best performance since 2016 when the University of Ibadan started featuring on this highly respected and prestigious University ranking body, and in spite of a fiercer competition engendered by an increase in the number of universities assessed worldwide.

"The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

"The THE uses 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry, and governments.

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"The 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).

"We acknowledge with thanks the support of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the Federal Ministry of Education under Mallam Adamu Adamu, and its agencies especially the National Universities Commission under Professor Abubakar Rasheed, FNAL and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund under Prof Elias Suleiman Bogoro, FAS, the Council under Nde Joshua Mutka Waklek, MNI, the Senate, our staff, students, alumni/alumnae and friends of UI.

"We appreciate your consistent support. We trust we can always count on your invaluable assistance and encouragement in the years ahead.

Congratulations to all of us in the UI Project.

THE had realized its rankings using 13 “carefully calibrated” performance indicators to provide comparisons, “trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.”

While figures for 2016, 2017, and 2018 ranked the institution in the 601-800, 801-1000, and 801-1000 respectively, UI emerged in the 601-800 and 501-600 band for 2019 and 2020 accordingly.