KAMPALA, Uganda — Makerere University is disputing recent reports of a decline in its 2025 university rankings, asserting that the official ratings for the year have not yet been released. However, Times Higher Education, which reportedly ranked Makerere 41st in Africa, has publicly posted its findings on its official website.
On July 8, Makerere University’s public relations office issued a detailed press statement challenging a Daily Monitor article titled “Mak Drops Marks.” The university contended the article “inaccurately combines the sub-Saharan African university rankings and the World University Rankings to portray a misleading performance trend for Makerere University.”
“For clarity, Makerere University was ranked 8th in the 2024 sub-Saharan African University Rankings,” the statement read. “However, the 2025 sub-Saharan African Rankings have not yet been released, making any comparison with the World University Rankings misleading. This is a misrepresentation of facts aimed at tarnishing the university’s reputation and causing alarm among stakeholders.”
The Daily Monitor previously reported Makerere was ranked 5th in sub-Saharan Africa by Times Higher Education in 2023, dropping to 8th in 2024. For 2025, the newspaper cited Times Higher Education data showing Makerere’s teaching at 20.9%, research environment at 6.4%, research quality at 45.1%, and industry at 20.1%, with an international outlook of 67.4%.
Makerere also claims the Daily Monitor article failed to acknowledge its performance in the 2025 Impact Rankings, which assess contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Makerere University significantly improved its global standing, moving from the 601–800 band in 2024 to the 301–400 band in 2025,” the university stated. “Notably, the university ranked 17th globally in Decent Work and Economic Growth and within the 401–600 band for Quality Education. These achievements reflect Makerere’s commitment to societal impact and sustainable development, which the article conspicuously ignores.”
The Daily Monitor’s report, however, had cited the same Impact Rankings, noting Makerere was between 601 and 800 for good health and well-being, 301-400 for quality education and gender equality, and 17th for decent work and economic growth, scoring 82.7%.
“While Makerere University acknowledges a decline in certain parameters in the World University Rankings, we view these as areas for improvement,” the university’s statement concluded. “At the same time, we celebrate our strengths, including high-quality research output and a robust international outlook, which continue to position Makerere as a leading institution globally.”
The university acknowledged a dip in quality in some aspects and pledged to address the gaps.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Makerere University’s Vice-Chancellor, addressed the shortfalls last Sunday.
“It is true our ranking by Times Higher Education has slid considerably,” Nawangwe said. “While we were ranked top in Africa for the impact of our research, we slid on other parameters.”
He noted that while research publications improved significantly, the citation index did not keep pace. Nawangwe also cited low rankings in the ratio of international and graduate students and international faculty as new parameters impacting their position. He attributed some challenges to a lack of sufficient funding compared to investments in other countries.
