ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Government has made participation in Nigeria’s national tertiary education ranking framework compulsory for all public and private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the policy directive during a stakeholder meeting in Abuja, expanding what was previously a university-focused scheme into a unified performance tracking framework for the entire higher education sector.
Expansion and Institutional Framework
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Renamed Committee Mandate: The Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), chaired by former NUC Executive Secretary Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, has been formally expanded and renamed the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee.
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Implementation Timelines: The 2026/2027 national ranking exercise for universities will commence in September 2026, with the advisory committee tasked to set rollout schedules for polytechnics and colleges of education.
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TETFund Backing: The Federal Government confirmed that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will fully fund the annual exercise, institutional capacity-building, and operational logistics.
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Universal Scope: Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad stressed that mandatory rankings apply to both public and private tertiary institutions to maintain minimum operational benchmarks.
