UG Ranked Best in Ghana and West Africa, 8th Best in Sub-Saharan Africa according to QS World University Rankings: Sub-Saharan Africa 2026

The University of Ghana (UG) also emerged as the highest-ranked University in Ghana and West Africa and 8th Best in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the Inaugural QS World University Rankings for Sub-Saharan Africa 2026. 

UG attained an overall score of 74.8, demonstrating strong performance across multiple key indicators used in the assessment. The University recorded an impressive 90.6 in Academic Reputation, highlighting its strong standing among scholars, as well as 88.3 in International Research Network and 86.6 in Sustainability, reflecting its expanding global collaborations and commitment to sustainable development. Additional scores include 79.2 in Web Impact, 65.6 in Employer Reputation, 52.1 in Citations per Paper, 50.3 in Staff with PhD, 48.1 in Papers per Faculty, and 10 in Faculty–Student Ratio.

The ranking was announced at the launch of the Inaugural QS World University Rankings: Sub-Saharan Africa 2026, held at the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Accra.

Reacting to this news, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo congratulated the entire University community for the remarkable achievement, describing it as a collective success worthy of celebration. She noted that being ranked eighth in Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant milestone that affirms the University of Ghana’s growing regional and global standing.

While expressing excitement about the ranking, the Vice-Chancellor emphasised that the University remains focused on continuous improvement. She acknowledged areas that require attention, particularly the student–faculty ratio and used the opportunity to call for greater investment and financial clearance from Government to recruit additional faculty. She added that increasing staffing levels will improve faculty–student ratio and ease the workload on existing faculty, enabling them to devote more time to research and enhance the University’s research output.

Prof. Amfo further encouraged faculty, staff, and students to remain committed to excellence, stressing that with unity of purpose and the right resources, the University of Ghana can aspire to the very top position in future rankings.

A total of 69 institutions were ranked from 21 African locations. This ranking focuses specifically on regional performance in Sub-Saharan Africa, using criteria adapted to reflect local higher education strengths and challenges, such as research output, reputation, employability, sustainability and global engagement.

QS is a world-leading source of comparative institutional performance assessments for students and university partners around the globe. 

Each QS ranking is compiled using a core methodology that measures the metrics that matter to students, including reputation among employers, academics, student experience and research activity.

Data is based on high-quality research and innovative analytic approaches.