University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) Ranks 7th in Nigeria and 37th in Sub-Saharan Africa
In the recent Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings, the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has achieved an impressive feat by emerging as the 7th best university in Nigeria and the 37th in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. This ranking, specifically designed to evaluate universities’ impact in tackling the region’s most challenging issues, assessed 88 universities across 20 countries.
Although this is the inaugural edition of the ranking, which includes an additional 33 institutions that provided data but did not meet the eligibility criteria for receiving a rank, the top position is held by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, followed by the University of Johannesburg in second place and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania in third place.
South Africa boasts the most institutions in the top 10, with a total of four, while Nigeria has the highest representation overall, with 37 ranked institutions, led by Covenant University in seventh place. The top 10 also includes universities from Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana.
Among the participating universities, about two-thirds are public institutions, a quarter are private not-for-profit organizations, and around a tenth are private for-profit organizations.
Originally established in August 2002 as Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), the university was renamed in 2021 as the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS). The name change occurred in February 2021 through a bill passed by the Cross River State House of Assembly and approved by the then Governor, Benedict Ayade. The purpose of the name change was to enable the university to operate as a comprehensive institution, offering a broader range of professional courses beyond a focus on technology-related programs.
UNICROSS encompasses five faculties at its Calabar campus, including engineering, science, environmental sciences, communication technology, and education. The faculty of management science is located at the Ogoja Campus, the faculty of basic medical sciences is situated at the Okuku Campus, and the faculty of agriculture and forestry is based at the Obubra Campus.
The university is the result of the merger of three former institutions: the Polytechnic, Calabar; the College of Education, Akamkpa; and the Ibrahim Babangida College of Agriculture, Ovonum in Obubra.
