Uganda's top universities named in latest global rankings

• Makerere ranks first in Uganda and 925th globally.

• KIU remains second nationally and the top private university.

• Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda Management Institute and Kyambogo complete the top five.

• KIU is expanding international partnerships through the Erasmus+ programme

Makerere University has retained its position as Uganda’s leading university, while Kampala International University (KIU) remains the country’s highest-ranked private institution in the July 2026 Webometrics rankings.

The rankings place Makerere first in Uganda and 925th globally. KIU follows in second place nationally and 2,041st worldwide. Mbarara University of Science and Technology ranks third in Uganda and 3,329th globally.

Uganda Management Institute and Kyambogo University complete the country’s top five institutions.

KIU’s performance keeps it ahead of other private universities and most publicly funded institutions in Uganda. The university has held second place nationally in recent Webometrics assessments.

The latest rankings come as KIU expands its international academic partnerships.

On July 23, 2026, KIU Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammed Ngoma visited Ondokuz Mayıs University in Türkiye under the Erasmus+ Exchange Programme. The programme supports exchanges involving university staff and students.

Ngoma said the visit offered opportunities for networking, learning and comparing academic practices.

He said universities must build global partnerships to improve teaching, research and international visibility.

“Internationalisation is no longer optional for universities that aspire to global relevance,” Ngoma said.

He said the Erasmus+ programme would help KIU widen its research networks, share knowledge and expose its community to international practices.

Webometrics measures universities using indicators linked to online visibility, open academic knowledge and research performance. The system covers thousands of higher education institutions across the world.

The rankings do not measure teaching quality alone. They also examine how institutions publish and share research through digital platforms.

Makerere’s continued lead reflects its research base and long-standing regional influence. KIU’s position shows the growing competition between public and private universities for students, partnerships and international recognition.