By KT Reporter
Times Higher Education (THE) has issued a clarification over its latest university rankings following public uproar over Makerere University’s perceived sharp decline in global and regional standings. In a statement dated July 9, 2025, THE, the publishers of the Times Higher EducationWorld University Rankings, said media and public discussions had misrepresented Makerere’s performance.
It clarified that Makerere was not ranked 41st globally as widely reported, but rather placed in the 1201–1500 band, with institutions in each band listed alphabetically, not by score. “The number 41 position stated in the article is inaccurate. Institutions within each band are listed alphabetically, not based on score,” the statement read. It further noted that some reports conflated the World University Rankings 2025 and the Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings, creating a misleading impression of Makerere’s performance over time.
The clarification comes after a Daily Monitor story on July 8, titled “Mak Drops Marks”, claimed Uganda’s premier university had “tumbled down the academic cliff” from 4th in Africa to 41st, sparking a firestorm on social media and a heated public debate about declining academic standards, poor administration, and government policy.
Makerere administrators strongly pushed back on the story, describing the story as “misleading.” In their response, the university stated it is currently ranked 13th in Africa and 912th globally according to the Centre for World University Rankings report. They also cited EduRank, which places Makerere 7th in Africa and in the top 5% universities worldwide, with noted excellence in health sciences research and impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Nonetheless, the rankings controversy has reignited criticism of Makerere’s governance under Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, with many former and current students and parents taking to social media to lament what they see as a decline in academic freedom, quality, and student experience. “The once-great institution has gone to the dogs,” one mutyabaug identifying as a former student posted on X (formerly Twitter), blaming “poor administration and bad government policies” for the university’s struggles.
Godwin Toko, a well-known online activist, lamented that Makerere, once the indomitable symbol of Uganda’s pride, has seen its quality erode under Prof. Nawangwe’s leadership, accusing him of undoing a century of progress at the institution. However, this is not the first time THE rankings have caused confusion. In 2023, the rankings were unveiled at the inaugural Sub-Saharan Africa Universities Forum in Ghana, where experts called on African institutions to focus on impactful teaching, research, and citizenship.
Even so, some higher education experts have criticized the THE methodology, arguing it lacks universally accepted standards and is vulnerable to manipulation by universities seeking to improve their image, attract funding, or boost enrolment. Commenting on the controversy, higher education experts, vice-chancellors, and educationists urged stakeholders to approach university rankings with caution.
For instance, Prof. John Chrysestom Maviiri, retired vice-chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University, noted: “Rankings have their value for quality assurance and improvement, but they are not infallible. We need a more standardized and transparent framework.”
Prof Maviiri also raised concerns about the possibility of individual universities indirectly or directly influencing rankings to their advantage. “The manipulation could be aimed at projecting a better image, attracting funding, and attracting students, among other benefits. These considerations highlight the potential biases and limitations that can arise in the ranking process.
About THE Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 assess 1,907 universities across 108 countries and regions, using WUR 3.0 methodology. This framework measures performance across five key areas: teaching (learning environment), research environment (volume, income, and reputation), research quality (citation impact, strength, excellence, and influence), international outlook (staff, students, and collaborations), and industry (income and patents).
The 2024 ranking drew on a vast dataset: more than 134 million citations from 16.5 million research publications, and survey responses from 68,402 scholars worldwide. In total, over 411,000 data points were collected from 2,673 institutions that submitted information-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
