By Musemil Abubakar
Covenant University has emerged as the top institution in Africa in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings, securing the number one position in Africa and ranking 49th globally.
Published on Thursday on THE’s official website, the rankings measure universities’ commitment and contributions to interdisciplinary science — a field that blends multiple scientific disciplines and, in some cases, integrates STEM with social sciences, law, education, economics, or health sciences.
Now in its second edition, the rankings assessed universities across 11 indicators, including funding, publications, research quality, facilities, administrative support, and global reputation.
A total of 911 universities from 94 countries made the list, with Covenant University standing out as the only African institution in the global top 50. Cairo University of Egypt followed next for the continent, placing 69th worldwide.
In Nigeria, 18 out of 30 universities that submitted data were ranked. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Landmark University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, and the University of Ilorin placed second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
