According to the most recent rankings published today by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), the University of Nairobi is the only university in Kenya classified among the top 2,000 universities worldwide.
The leading institution in Kenya is in the top 7% of universities worldwide after being ranked 1,425th on the Global 2000 ranking for 2023.
But due to a fall in the employability of its graduates and its research output, two crucial performance measures, UoN has dropped 20 spots from last year’s rating.
The rankings are being released as the education industry undergoes significant adjustments. In an effort to pull universities out of their current financial mess, there has been an increased focus on university finance recently.
In order to rate colleges from around the world on four criteria—educational quality (25%) employability (25%) faculty quality (10%) and research performance (40%)—CWUR analyzed 62 million outcomes-based data points.
These are measured independently of surveys and information provided by universities. 20,531 universities were ranked this year. Stephen Kiama, vice chancellor of the University of Nebraska, was ecstatic to get the news.
“Obviously we’re delighted. Students at UoN are taught from new knowledge based on research. We have a huge responsibility to maintain the standards we’ve set. The others [universities] know where to go,” he told Nation.
The CWUR president, however, sounded an alarm over the performance of Kenyan universities.
“It is alarming to see only one Kenyan university in the rankings. Funding to further promote the development and reputation of Kenya’s higher education system is vital if the country is to be more competitive on the global stage,” he said.
