Makerere University drops in global ranking
Experts attribute Makerere’s drop to factors such as research output, curriculum updates, funding challenges, faculty-student ratio, and changes in ranking criteria.
Makerere University, Uganda’s top institution of higher learning, has slipped in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024, moving from the 801-1000 range to the 1,201-1,500 band.
Despite the decline, it remains Uganda’s highest-ranked university.
The 2024 rankings, published on October 7, included 54 universities from 15 sub-Saharan African countries. The University of Cape Town leads the region, ranking 180th globally, while Nigeria’s Covenant University remains in the 801-1000 range.
On the global scale, the University of Oxford retained its position as the top university for the ninth year, followed by MIT and Harvard University. The rankings assessed 2,092 universities from 115 countries, evaluating them based on 18 performance indicators in teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and internationalization.
Experts attribute Makerere’s drop to factors such as research output, curriculum updates, funding challenges, faculty-student ratio, and changes in ranking criteria. The shift highlights the challenges African universities face in competing on the global stage.
“The rankings underscore the need for African institutions to invest in research, infrastructure, and quality academic staff,” said an education expert from Makerere University.
The full rankings can be accessed on the Times Higher Education website.
