The University of Nairobi (UoN) has retained its position as Kenya’s highest-ranked university in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, despite being placed in the 1,601–1,800 global band.
According to the report obtained by Vantage Ke, Kenyatta University (KU) followed UoN, featuring in the 1,801–2,000 global band. The two institutions were the only Kenyan universities assigned specific overall ranking bands.
Several other Kenyan universities were listed as ‘Reporter’ institutions, meaning they were included in the Times Higher Education database but did not receive an overall global ranking band.
The institutions in this category were Kabarak University, Karatina University, Kibabii University, Laikipia University, Machakos University and Mount Kenya University.
Released on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the 2027 rankings cover 2,297 universities across 118 countries, making it the most extensive edition in THE’s history.
UoN posted an overall score ranging between 24.2 and 27.1. The university scored 16.0 in teaching, 14.4 in research environment, 40.4 in research quality, 22.5 in industry and 48.2 in international outlook.
Kenyatta University recorded an overall score between 20.4 and 24.1, with scores of 13.8 in teaching, 10.3 in research environment, 32.7 in research quality, 17.3 in industry and 54.9 in international outlook.
Despite leading the Kenyan rankings, UoN and KU were placed below the highest-ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa.
South Africa’s University of Cape Town emerged as the region’s highest-ranked institution, climbing to joint 147th globally from joint 164th in the previous edition.
The number of universities from sub-Saharan Africa included in the global rankings also increased from 55 to 69.
South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand was another leading African institution, ranking 301st globally in the 2027 edition.
At the global level, the University of Oxford retained the top position for the 11th consecutive year.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranked second, while Princeton University and Stanford University shared third place.
The University of Cambridge was ranked fifth globally, followed by Harvard University in sixth, with universities from the United States and United Kingdom continuing to occupy most of the top positions.
The rankings also highlighted the growing performance of Asian universities, with China’s Tsinghua University rising to 11th globally and the National University of Singapore ranking 15th.
The latest standings bring the number of Asian universities in the global top 15 to three.
