KUHeS puts Malawi on world university ranking as UNIMA, LUANAR miss out
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) is the only university in Malawi to make the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, placing in the 1,201–1,400 band.
The University of Malawi (UNIMA), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and every other Malawian university are absent from the list. Times Higher Education describes KUHeS’s entry as Malawi’s debut in the rankings.
UNIMA’s absence stands out. Founded in 1964, it is Malawi’s oldest and best-known public university, yet it remains unranked. The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), which was listed as a reporter institution last year – meaning it submitted data to Times Higher Education but was not ranked – has not made the cut this year either.
“Malawi makes its rankings debut with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in the 1,201–1,400 band,” the organisation says in its statement.
KUHeS now appears in the same global ranking as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and other leading universities, although it is several ranking bands below them. Oxford holds first place worldwide, Cambridge is fifth and Harvard sixth.
The absence of other Malawian universities does not necessarily mean they were assessed and scored below KUHeS. An institution may be absent because it did not participate, did not provide sufficient data, or did not meet the ranking’s eligibility requirements. The statement does not specify which explanation applies to UNIMA, LUANAR or any other university in Malawi.
Times Higher Education says its rankings assess universities across teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry links. This year’s edition includes 2,297 institutions worldwide, including 69 from 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
South Africa’s University of Cape Town is the region’s highest placed institution, at joint 147th globally. KUHeS shares its 1,201–1,400 band with institutions including Ethiopia’s Mekelle University and the University of Botswana.
KUHeS is also placed above the leading universities of all three of Malawi’s neighbours. Mozambique’s Universidade Eduardo Mondlane is in the 1,401–1,600 band, Tanzania’s Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences is in the 1,601–1,800 band and the University of Zambia is in the 1,801–2,000 band.
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer, said African universities were gaining a stronger presence internationally: “Africa is a growing force in the geopolitics of knowledge, and its universities are earning a growing presence on the world stage.”
KUHeS’s inclusion gives Malawi a place in the ranking for the first time. Whether more of the country’s universities join it in future editions will depend on their eligibility, participation and performance under the ranking’s methodology.
