Nairobi University Ranked The Best University In Kenya Even As It Drops In Global Rankings
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has released its latest ranking of the top 2,000 universities globally, and the University of Nairobi (UoN) is the only Kenyan institution to make the list.
UoN was placed at 1,425th position, making it the leading higher education institution in Kenya.
University Of Nairobi, Photo: Courtesy
However, the university dropped 20 spots from last year’s ranking due to a perceived decline in its graduates’ employability and research output.
The CWUR uses several key performance indicators to rank universities, including quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, research output, and international reputation.
It is not surprising that UoN’s decline in ranking is due to its perceived decline in graduates’ employability and research output, which are two of the significant indicators, given the rough economic times.
University Of Nairobi Main Campus, Photo : Courtesy
The top ten universities in the world, according to the 2023 CWUR ranking, are Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Princeton University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and California Institute of Technology.
The United States dominated the top ten, with six universities, while the UK had two, and Switzerland and Japan each had one.
Regarding the top-performing universities in Africa, South Africa took the lead with the University of Cape Town ranking 267 globally, followed by the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg at 290.
Stellenbosch University ranked third in Africa and 450 globally. The University of KwaZulu-Natal took the fourth position in Africa and 478 globally, while Cairo University rounded up the top five in Africa and 520 globally.
Other African universities that made the top ten include the University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, Ain Shams University, Addis Ababa University, and North-West University. The rankings reveal that South Africa is the leading country in terms of the number of universities in the top ten list in Africa, with six institutions. Egypt has two universities on the list, while Ethiopia has one.
It is actually encouraging to see African universities making progress and ranking among the best in the world.
The rankings provide a benchmark for universities to strive towards excellence in their academic programs, research output, and employability of their graduates.
