University of Juba Ranked South Sudan’s No.1 Public University in Global Science Index

(Juba) – The University of Juba has been ranked as the number one public university in South Sudan in the newly released AD Scientific Index 2025. Three other public universities, Upper Nile University, University of Bahr el Ghazal and John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology follow in second, third and fourth place respectively, based on the academic impact and research productivity of their scientists.

The AD Scientific Index is an internationally recognised ranking system that measures the scientific performance of individual researchers and institutions across the globe.

It evaluates over 24,000 institutions using metrics such as the H-index (which measures productivity and citation impact), the i10-index (number of publications with 10 or more citations), and total citation counts over a scholar’s career and during the past six years.

This year’s edition marks a milestone for South Sudan, as four of its public universities have secured spots in the national ranking. In order of performance, they are:

1. University of Juba

2. Upper Nile University

3. University of Bahr el Ghazal

4. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology

These rankings are based on the cumulative achievements of 24 South Sudanese scientists currently listed in the AD Scientific Index. No private universities, hospitals, or companies from South Sudan have been included in the index so far.

Founded in 1977, the University of Juba continues to play a leading role in the country’s education and research landscape. The institution has developed a wide range of academic and professional programmes, and its researchers contribute significantly to national policymaking and development.

Its recognition as the top university in South Sudan shows both the resilience and ambition of the institution in a challenging academic environment.

The AD Scientific Index provides updates every two days, offering institutions and policymakers the opportunity to monitor performance and plan strategically.

The ranking system also includes features such as continent wide and global comparisons, percentile distributions of high performing scientists and institutional trend analyses.

Upper Nile University, ranked second, is based in Malakal and has traditionally served as a key academic institution for the Upper Nile region. Despite facing serious disruption during the civil conflict, the university continues to recover and build its academic offerings.

The University of Bahr el Ghazal, located in Wau and ranked third, provides critical access to higher education in the western part of the country. It has been actively expanding its teaching and research capacity in recent years.

John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, based in Bor and ranked fourth, is the youngest of the four but has shown increasing potential, especially in technical and scientific disciplines.

These institutions represent the backbone of South Sudan’s public higher education system. While the number of ranked scientists remains relatively low, the achievement reflects early progress in a sector still recovering from years of conflict, underfunding and displacement.

The rankings come at a time when South Sudan’s education sector is under review by national planners, with increased interest in boosting research funding, staff training, and international partnerships.

According to education analysts, visibility in global rankings such as this could attract greater interest from donors and academic partners worldwide.

The AD Scientific Index does not yet list any South Sudanese private universities, research institutes, companies or hospitals. However, the framework is open to future inclusions if these institutions meet the ranking’s data criteria.

Despite challenges in infrastructure and funding, the four ranked universities continue to train thousands of students and produce research relevant to the country’s development needs.

Their recognition on an international platform marks a step forward for South Sudan’s academic community. These rankings therefore serve as a snapshot of current progress.