Usmanu Danfodiyo University World Ranking 2026
Track Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto’s (UDUS) Webometrics world ranking history from 2018 to 2026. Ranked 28th in Nigeria in the January 2024 Webometrics edition (world 3,763), 24th in Nigeria by AD Scientific Index 2025 (H-index global rank 3,444 of 18,643), and 33rd in Nigeria by EduRank 2025 — Nigeria’s leading university in the northwest geopolitical zone.
Usmanu Danfodiyo University Webometrics Ranking History (2018–2026)
| Edition | Year | Webometrics World Rank | Nigeria Rank | Africa Rank | Impact Rank | Openness Rank | Excellence Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2018 | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2019 | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2019 | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2020 | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2020 | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2021 | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2021 | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2022 | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2022 | 2022 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2023 | 2023 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2023 | 2023 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2024 | 2024 | 3,763 | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2024 | 2024 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2025 | 2025 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 2025 | 2025 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 2026 | 2026 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — |
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) was established in 1975 by the Federal Government of Nigeria under the name University of Sokoto, as part of the wave of second-generation federal universities created following the Udoji Commission reforms. The university was renamed in 1995 to honour Usmanu Danfodiyo — the 19th-century Islamic scholar, philosopher, and revolutionary who founded the Sokoto Caliphate in 1804 and remains one of the most influential figures in West African intellectual and religious history. Located in Sokoto, the capital of Sokoto State in Nigeria’s northwest, the university sits in a region historically central to Islamic scholarship and administration in West Africa. UDUS today operates 18 faculties across two campuses — the main City Campus and the University of Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) campus — offering programmes spanning agriculture, arts, education, engineering, environmental sciences, health sciences, Islamic studies, law, management sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, science, social sciences, and veterinary medicine. With an enrolment of approximately 20,000 to 24,999 students, UDUS is a large comprehensive federal university and the most significant institution of higher learning in northwestern Nigeria, a geopolitical zone that encompasses Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.
In the Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities, the most confirmed UDUS data point is from the January 2024 edition, where the university recorded a world rank of 3,763 and was placed 28th among Nigerian universities — consistent with its positioning in the mid-range of the national Webometrics table across recent years. The Webometrics system’s heavy weighting toward digital web presence and open-access online output has traditionally placed UDUS lower than its research citation profile might otherwise suggest: the university’s strongest ranking signals come instead from citation-based indices that capture its substantial scientific output in medicine, biological sciences, and environmental science. The AD Scientific Index 2025, which ranks universities by the H-index performance of their affiliated scientists, places UDUS at a global H-index rank of 3,444 out of 18,643 universities worldwide — positioning it 153rd in Africa out of 1,252 institutions and 24th in Nigeria out of 306, with a particularly strong standing among Nigerian public universities where UDUS ranks 18th out of 185. This performance is driven by a cohort of highly productive scholars in medical and biological sciences whose individual H-index profiles elevate the university’s composite standing significantly above its Webometrics world rank.
EduRank’s 2025 composite ranking places UDUS 33rd in Nigeria and 4,633rd globally, drawing on 5,908 academic publications and 35,655 citations across 43 research topics in which the university scores in the top 50% worldwide. Its most internationally recognised discipline is Medicine, where UDUS ranks 19th in Nigeria and 2,154th globally — supported by 3,479 publications and 22,676 citations in areas including pathology, public health, immunology, surgery, and psychiatry, underpinned by its clinical partnership with the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital. In Biology, UDUS ranks 26th in Nigeria and 2,638th globally with 3,965 publications, with particular recognition in genetics, biochemistry, palaeontology, botany, and immunology. In Liberal Arts and Social Sciences — a category reflecting UDUS’s strong Islamic studies, law, sociology, political science, and history programmes — the university ranks 25th in Nigeria and 3,111th globally. This breadth of scholarly output across science, medicine, and humanities reflects UDUS’s identity as one of Nigeria’s most genuinely comprehensive federal universities, combining a strong health sciences profile with deep roots in the Islamic scholarly tradition of the Sokoto Caliphate. For prospective students, research partners, and international ranking agencies, UDUS represents the academic flagship of northwestern Nigeria — a university with a distinctive intellectual heritage, confirmed international presence in medicine and biological sciences, and a research output base that positions it among the upper tier of Nigerian institutions heading into 2026.
FAQ – Usmanu Danfodiyo University Ranking 2026
What is Usmanu Danfodiyo University’s Webometrics ranking? In the January 2024 Webometrics edition — the most recently confirmed data point — UDUS was ranked world 3,763 and 28th in Nigeria out of over 170 ranked Nigerian universities.
What is UDUS’s AD Scientific Index ranking? The AD Scientific Index 2025 places UDUS at a global H-index rank of 3,444 out of 18,643 universities worldwide, 153rd in Africa out of 1,252 institutions, and 24th in Nigeria out of 306 — ranking 18th among Nigeria’s 185 public universities.
What is UDUS’s EduRank 2025 position? EduRank ranks UDUS 33rd in Nigeria and 4,633rd globally in 2025, based on 5,908 publications and 35,655 citations across 43 research disciplines where UDUS scores in the global top 50%.
When was Usmanu Danfodiyo University founded and why was it renamed? The university was founded in 1975under the name University of Sokoto and renamed in 1995 to honour Usmanu Danfodiyo — the Islamic scholar and philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate in 1804 and is one of the most celebrated intellectual figures in West African history.
What are UDUS’s strongest academic subjects in international rankings? UDUS’s best-performing disciplines are Medicine (19th Nigeria, 2,154th world — 3,479 publications, 22,676 citations), Biology (26th Nigeria, 2,638th world), Environmental Science (28th Nigeria, 2,822nd world), and Liberal Arts & Social Sciences (25th Nigeria, 3,111th world).
Does UDUS have a teaching hospital? Yes. The Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) forms one of the university’s two main campuses and is the primary teaching hospital for the faculties of health sciences, medicine, and pharmaceutical sciences — one of the largest tertiary hospitals in northwestern Nigeria.
How many faculties does Usmanu Danfodiyo University have? UDUS operates 18 faculties spanning agriculture, arts, education, engineering, environmental sciences, health sciences, Islamic studies, law, management sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, science, social sciences, and veterinary medicine — one of the broadest faculty ranges among Nigerian federal universities.
Is UDUS a public or private university? UDUS is a public federal university, owned and funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria and fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
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