University ranking: KUHeS ‘beats’ UNIMA in world rankings

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) is the only university in Malawi to make the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The university has ‘beaten’ the University of Malawi (UNIMA), which has missed the ranking again.

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.

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.

South Africa’s University of Cape Town is the region’s highest-placed institution, at joint 147th globally. In the region, KUHeS also ranks above Kenya’s highest-placed university and shares a ranking band with Ethiopia’s Mekelle University.

Times Higher Education (THE) is a prestigious global ranking of universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Joining UNIMA among the unranked universities are Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Shareworld, Mzuzu University, Skyway, Exploits, DMI, Catholic University (CUNIMA), Livingstonia University and Malawi Assemblies of God University (MAGU).

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.

Times Higher Education describes KUHeS’s entry as Malawi’s debut in the rankings.

“Malawi makes its rankings debut with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in the 1,201–1,400 band,” the organisation says in its statement.

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. However, as a prestigious ranking, it is one of the most sought after by universities, prospective students and employers alike.

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.

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.”

UNIMA can take some consolation from a different Times Higher Education assessment: it ranked first in Malawi for environmental sustainability in the 2026 Sustainability Impact Ratings. But it missed out on the crème de la crème of THE’s tables: the World University Rankings despite its submitted data being used for the environmental sustainability impact rating. You can read more on university ranking and education in genereal here.

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