University of Benin World Ranking 2026
Track the University of Benin’s (UNIBEN) Webometrics world ranking history from 2011 to 2026. Once ranked #1 in Nigeria and #1 in West Africa by Webometrics, UNIBEN holds a world rank of 1,501 in the July 2024 edition, and is placed 6th in Nigeria by the THE Impact Rankings 2024 with a world rank of #301.
University of Benin Webometrics Ranking History (2011 – 2026)
| Edition | Year | Webometrics World Rank | Nigeria Rank | Africa Rank | Impact Rank | Openness Rank | Excellence Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | 2011 | — | 1 | W.Afr #1 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2012 | 2012 | — | 1 | 22 | — | — | — |
| Jul 2012 | 2012 | — | 1 | 31 | — | — | — |
| Jul 2018 | 2018 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2019 | 2019 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2020 | 2020 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2021 | 2021 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2021 | 2021 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2022 | 2022 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2022 | 2022 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2023 | 2023 | — | 148* | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2023 | 2023 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2024 | 2024 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2024 | 2024 | 1,501 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2025 | 2025 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2025 | 2025 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2026 | 2026 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
*Jan 2023 anomaly: UNIBEN’s domain migration caused a temporary collapse to 148th in Nigeria, largely recovered by Jul 2023.
The University of Benin (UNIBEN) was established on the 23rd of November, 1970, by the then Colonel Samuel Ogbemudia-led military administration of Midwest State, initially as the Midwest Institute of Technology. After attaining full university status on the 1st of July, 1971, it was renamed the University of Benin. Today, UNIBEN is a very large-sized institution enrolling between 45,000 and 49,999 students, spread across faculties spanning medicine, law, engineering, pharmacy, social sciences, arts, life sciences, education, environmental sciences, management sciences, physical sciences, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. The university was the first in Nigeria to award degrees in Industrial Chemistry, the first to develop indigenous software for Computer Based Testing, the first to award a PhD in Optometry, and the first in Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone to establish a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
UNIBEN’s Webometrics history is one of the most dramatic in Nigerian higher education — a story of remarkable early dominance followed by a gradual repositioning. In 2011, the University of Benin was ranked the number one university in West Africa by Webometrics — a continental distinction that placed it above every university in Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria’s own more established institutions. In July 2012, Webometrics placed UNIBEN first in Nigeria and 31st in Africa, with the Federal Polytechnic Auchi second and the University of Ibadan third nationally. In the January 2012 edition, UNIBEN was again #1 in Nigeria and 22nd in Africa — a dual-edition dominance that reflected the institution’s early investment in web presence and digital publication infrastructure. By the 2018–2022 period, UNIBEN had settled into a consistent 14th-place position in Nigeria in Webometrics, reflecting a competitive landscape where institutions in Ibadan, Lagos, Nsukka, and Ife had strengthened their digital output.
In January 2023, UNIBEN suffered a dramatic but temporary collapse in Webometrics — falling to 148th in Nigeria, widely attributed to a university domain migration that disrupted the web crawling algorithms used by the ranking system. The university recovered quickly: by July 2024, UNIBEN held a Webometrics world rank of 1,501 and 17th position in Nigeria. Beyond Webometrics, UNIBEN’s research quality rankings tell a stronger story. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, UNIBEN was ranked 6th in Nigeria, with performance indicators centred on teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook, based on analyses of over 15 million research publications and responses from approximately 40,000 scholars worldwide. In the THE World University Impact Rankings 2024, UNIBEN achieved a world rank of #301 — its highest position in any tracked international ranking, placing it among the top 300 universities globally for social and economic impact aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. EduRank’s 2025 composite ranking places UNIBEN 9th in Nigeria and 2,639th in the world, scoring in the top 50% across 103 research topics — with particular strength in Medicine (6th Nigeria, 1,282nd world), Biology (7th Nigeria, 1,470th world), and Chemistry (7th Nigeria, 1,612th world). For prospective students across medicine, sciences, law, and engineering, and for international research partners, UNIBEN’s combination of historic Webometrics leadership, strong research-quality rankings, and a large, multidisciplinary researcher base makes it one of southern Nigeria’s most consequential and internationally recognised universities.
FAQ – University of Benin Ranking 2026
What is the University of Benin’s Webometrics world rank? In the July 2024 Webometrics edition, UNIBEN held a world rank of 1,501 and was placed 17th in Nigeria. The exact January 2026 world rank has not been publicly confirmed at time of publication.
Was the University of Benin ever ranked #1 in Nigeria? Yes. In 2011, UNIBEN was ranked the number one university in West Africa by Webometrics. In July 2012, Webometrics placed UNIBEN first in Nigeria and 31st in Africa. It maintained the #1 position in Nigeria across both the January and July 2012 editions.
What caused UNIBEN’s 2023 Webometrics ranking collapse? In January 2023, UNIBEN fell to 148th in Nigeria in the Webometrics ranking — a temporary anomaly widely attributed to a university domain migration that disrupted the automated web crawlers used to calculate the ranking. The university recovered to 17th in Nigeria by the July 2023 edition.
What is UNIBEN’s best-ever international ranking? UNIBEN’s highest tracked international ranking is #301 in the THE World University Impact Rankings 2024 — placing it among the top 300 universities globally for impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What is UNIBEN’s rank in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings? UNIBEN was ranked 6th in Nigeria in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, based on 15 million research publications and survey responses from 40,000 scholars worldwide. MastersPortal places UNIBEN at 1,501 in THE World University Rankings.
When was the University of Benin founded? The University of Benin was established on 23rd November 1970 by the Colonel Samuel Ogbemudia-led military administration of Midwest State, originally as the Midwest Institute of Technology, before attaining full university status on 1st July 1971.
What are UNIBEN’s strongest subject areas globally? UNIBEN ranks 6th in Nigeria for Medicine (1,282nd globally), 7th for Biology (1,470th globally), 7th for Chemistry (1,612nd globally), and 9th for Environmental Science (1,461st globally).
Is UNIBEN a public or private university? The University of Benin is a federal government-owned public university, fully funded and accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria.
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