The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) has been ranked 4th among universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) rankings. This marks a significant improvement from last year’s ranking, where UGHE was 8th. 

This year, 129 universities from 22 countries were assessed. These include the University of Johannesburg, the University of Pretoria, University of Rwanda, and others. THE used a methodology specifically designed to evaluate the impact of universities in addressing some of the continent’s most pressing challenges. This methodology includes 20 metrics grouped into five key pillars: resources and finance, access and fairness, student engagement, ethical leadership, and Africa impact. UGHE also achieved higher scores among the top 5 institutions in Ethical Leadership, Student Engagement and Africa Impact.  

This remarkable ranking reflects the dedication of the UGHE community – including leadership, faculty, staff, students, and affiliates – and their commitment to make UGHE a leading university that strives to train the next generation of global health leaders, with an emphasis of transforming them into change makers equipped with the skills to improve health outcomes and social systems. The University operates on three core pillars: Academics, Research, and Community Engagement integrating these in all its initiatives.   

UGHE is a global university celebrating 10 years in 2025. It was launched by Partners In Health in 2015 with support from the Government Rwanda, Cummings Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The campus operates alongside the PIH-supported Butaro Level Two Teaching Hospital in remote Northern Rwanda which hosts a Cancer Center of Excellence. 

In addition to its well-known 6.5 years dual degree program Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery-Master of Science in Global Health Delivery MBBS-MGHD where medical students are equipped with state-of-the-art clinical knowledge, humanities and social sciences. UGHE offers other outstanding programs for future global health leaders. These include the Master of Science in Global Health Delivery (MGHD) with different tracks, Global Community-Based Education (G-CBE), various Professional and Executive Education Programs designed to cultivate leadership skills within public sector, private sector, nonprofit, and non-governmental organizations throughout the health system and the newly launched Health Professions Education (HPE) program. 

UGHE is committed to training future global health leaders, with a vision to bridge healthcare delivery gaps across Africa and the world. By 2030, the university aims to have graduated 3,000 students. 

The 2024 Times Higher Education ranking also placed the University of Rwanda 6th.  This highlights the robust leadership strategy in Rwanda, aiming to make the country a quality education hub.