The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has again placed second to the University of Cape Coast in the latest global university rankings for 2024-2025. In the recently released 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has once again defended its position as one of the top institutions in Africa, securing the #737 spot globally.
UCC also ranked #29 in Africa, outperforming its Ghanaian peers in several key categories. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the country’s largest science and technology university, followed closely behind at #749 globally and #30 in Africa, placing second to UCC in the rankings for Ghanaian institutions.
The rankings, which cover 2,250 universities across 104 countries, focus primarily on academic research performance and reputation. They assess institutions based on 13 indicators, including global and regional research reputation, publications, books, conferences, citations, and international collaboration. These rankings are important for students and institutions, providing a comparative perspective on the quality of academic research worldwide.
UCC’s rise in the rankings can be attributed to its strong performance in regional research reputation, ranking #24, and its robust normalized citation impact, where it is positioned at #27 globally. UCC also excelled in subject rankings, particularly in Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health (#268) and Social Sciences and Public Health (#426).
Meanwhile, KNUST’s global research reputation stood at #936, and its regional research reputation ranked impressively at #15. The university also made strides in subject areas like Clinical Medicine (#381) and Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health (#336).
The University of Ghana, ranking third in Ghana, placed at #839 globally and #33 in Africa. Despite its lower position than UCC and KNUST, the University of Ghana showed notable strength in areas such as Infectious Diseases (#184) and Social Sciences and Public Health (#274).
The recently released 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings, which assess over 2,250 institutions from 104 countries, have shown the growing divide in research output and international recognition among Ghanaian universities.
While the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the University of Ghana made the list, many other prominent Ghanaian institutions failed to secure a spot in the top global rankings, including universities like the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), University for Professional Studies, University of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, and the University for Development Studies (UDS). These universities which serve as vital centers for higher education in the country, were absent from the rankings.
