Uganda’s premier institution of higher learning, Makerere University, has dropped in the latest World University Rankings 2025, falling from 13th position in 2023 to a joint 41st place this year.
This sharp decline sparks concerns about the university’s competitiveness amid growing pressure to meet evolving academic standards across the continent.
Despite the sharp global ranking, Makerere University retained its position as East Africa’s top-ranked institution ahead of Kenya’s Kenyatta University, which ranks 74th in the global ranking.
This year’s edition assessed more than 100 African institutions, with the results reflecting a notable shift in academic performance. South African and Egyptian universities continue to dominate, with South Africa claiming five of the top 10 positions. The University of Cape Town retained its status as the continent’s best-ranked university.
Egypt led in terms of the number of institutions featured, with 35 universities ranked, followed by Algeria with 26. Nigeria, Ghana, and Morocco also increased their presence, underscoring the impact of sustained investment and reforms in higher education across these countries.
The rankings evaluate universities based on 18 performance indicators grouped under five key areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement. Universities that demonstrated strong research impact and higher levels of international collaboration moved up the rankings—factors that may explain Makerere’s decline.
To reverse the decline performance experts have suggested that Makerere university prioritizes improvements in research output, global partnerships, and teaching quality areas where many African universities are making rapid progress.
Makerere University, established in 1922, is Uganda’s oldest and largest institution of higher learning and the oldest currently active in East Africa.
Initially a technical school, it evolved into a leading center for higher education in the region. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, it comprises ten colleges and one school, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs to a student body of approximately 40,000