World University Rankings 2026: UoN beats KU in key subject areas

Graduands during the University of Nairobi's 74th graduation ceremony on December 11, 2025. /UoN

Kenya’s top universities have made a modest showing in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with the University of Nairobi outperforming Kenyatta University across most disciplines where local institutions were evaluated.

While no Kenyan university features among the global elite, the results highlight areas of relative strength, persistent gaps and opportunities for improvement as institutions compete on the global stage.

Universities were evaluated on five core areas of Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook across 11 subjects.

These are Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Computer Science, Education Studies, Engineering, Law, Life Sciences, Medical and Health, Physical Sciences, Psychology, and Social Sciences.

UoN is the only Kenyan university to appear across multiple subject rankings, placing it clearly ahead nationally.

In Medical and Health, it placed 601 globally out of 800 institutions with an overall score of 28.2.

Its strongest performance was in attracting students and faculty, scoring 56.3, followed by research quality at 51 and innovation at 36.

By contrast, research volume, income and reputation scored 15.7, and the learning environment 14.5.

The University of Oxford leads this category globally with a score of 98.2, underlining the scale of the gap between Kenyan institutions and world leaders.

In Social Sciences, UoN again led nationally, ranking 601 globally with a score of 26.6, ahead of Kenyatta University, which scored 11.4 and fell outside the top 1,000.

UoN outperformed KU in research quality (36.9 to 23.7), research volume, income and reputation (23.9 to 8.5), and the quality of the learning environment (17.4 to 12.3).

The two were almost equal on innovation (27.6 to 27.1) and student and faculty attraction (47.4 to 46.1).

UoN demonstrated a clear advantage in research volume, income and reputation, and in research quality, while the two institutions were nearly level on innovation.

This positions UoN as Kenya’s leading social sciences institution, even as global leadership remains dominated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) tops the global social sciences table with a score of 94.3.

Life Sciences saw a closer contest with both UoN and Kenyatta University tied with an overall score of 23.4, ranking 801 globally.

However, the underlying metrics reveal distinct strengths. Kenyatta University outperformed UoN in spreading new knowledge through research and in international outlook, indicating stronger appeal to students and staff.

KU outperformed UoN in spreading new knowledge (42 to 31.2) and in international outlook, while UoN led in innovation (28.8 to 17.4), research volume, income and reputation (16.9 to 7.4), and learning environment (17.4 to 10.1).

Harvard University remains the global leader with a score of 97.8.

In Physical Sciences, UoN ranked 1,251 out of 1,497 universities, scoring 47 in attracting students and faculty, but lagging in research volume, income and reputation (12.2), quality of learning environment (13.8), research quality (18.5), and industry engagement (19.7).

Globally, the California Institute of Technology leads with 97.2, excelling in industry links.

UoN was also Kenya’s sole representative in Business and Economics, ranking 801 globally out of 1,000 universities with an overall score of 21.2.

It performed best in research quality (38.1), followed by global outlook (37.7), learning environment (21.4), innovation (17.2), and research volume, income and reputation (13.6). MIT remains the global leader with 93.3.

Kenyan universities were not ranked in Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Law, Psychology, Education Studies, or Computer Science, reflecting the need for stronger research ecosystems and international collaboration in these fields.

Global and regional comparison

The 2026 rankings reaffirm the dominance of the United States and the United Kingdom across most disciplines.

US universities lead in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Engineering, and Education Studies, while UK institutions top Medical and Health, Computer Science, and Psychology.

Regionally, Uganda's Makerere University emerged best, scoring 35.5, while Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, as well as the University of Rwanda, all ranked outside the top 1,500 with overall scores of 10.3.

Overall, Kenya's elite universities were all ranked outside 1,500 top institutions with a 10.3 overall score like her East African peers.

South Africa’s University of Cape Town led the region with an overall score of 60.8, highlighting a significant regional performance gap with Kenya and its neighbours.

Understanding the methodology

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026 evaluate universities using 18 performance indicators grouped under five main pillars.

These are Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook.

The pillars measure teaching quality, research strength, citations and influence, industry partnerships, and global engagement through international staff, students, and collaborations.

The methodology is adapted for each subject to account for differences in research culture and publication practices, ensuring a fair comparison.

The 11 subject areas ranked for 2026 are Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Computer Science, Education Studies, Engineering, Law, Life Sciences, Medical and Health, Physical Sciences, Psychology, and Social Sciences.