Top Universities in Ethiopia - 2025 Rankings

Ethiopia is a very affordable country to study in. Education in Ethiopia is not only affordable but also of high quality. In this article, you would get to see the top and best universities to choose from when considering studying in Ethiopia.

Before we proceed, you should check out the article below:

Recommended: Why You Should Study in Ethiopia

The article above would give you early insight into what to expect when studying in Ethiopia.

The ranking system used in this article is based on the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities – a ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web content (number of web pages and files) and the visibility and impact of these web publications according to the number of external links (site citations) they received.

Note: Rankings are from the July 2025 edition of independent university ranking platforms using the Webometrics methodology, as the official webometrics.info site is no longer operational.

Without further ado, we present to you the list of the top universities in Ethiopia based on the July 2025 rankings.

Top Universities in Ethiopia (July 2025)

1. Addis Ababa University

Sitting at the top of the list is the Addis Ababa University – the oldest university in Ethiopia. According to the July 2025 Webometrics rankings, Addis Ababa University ranks #1 in Ethiopia and #890 globally. The university has thirteen campuses – 12 located in Addis Ababa while one is located in Bishoftu. The history of the university is drawn back to 1950 by the Jesuit Lucien Matte, at the appeal of His Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I.

The list of colleges and courses offered by the institution are as follows; College of Biological Engineering, College of Social Sciences, College of Humanities, Language Studies, Journalism, and Communication, College of Development Studies, College of Business and Economics, College of Law and Governance Studies, College of Education and Behavioral Studies, College of Natural and Computation Sciences, Skunder Boghossian College of Performing and Visual Arts, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, and College of Health Sciences.

2. University of Gondar

The University of Gondar ranks #2 in Ethiopia (#1048 globally) in the July 2025 Webometrics rankings. This university is one of the leading public institutions in Ethiopia known for its strong health sciences programs.

3. Jimma University

Jimma University ranks #3 in Ethiopia (#1415 globally) in the July 2025 rankings. Located in Jimma, this institution is recognized for its comprehensive academic programs and research output.

4. Bahir Dar University

Bahir Dar University ranks #4 in Ethiopia. The university was named after its location, Bahir Dar, Amhara in Ethiopia. Bahir Dar University was established by merging two former higher education institutions; namely the Bahir Dar Polytechnic and Bahir Dar Teacher's College.

The university boasts of a student capacity of over 54,000 with eight (8) schools including School of Law, School of Earth Sciences, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, School of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and School of Chemical and Food Engineering.

5. Mekelle University

Mekelle University ranks #5 in Ethiopia (#1761 globally). Located in Mekelle, Tigray, 783 kilometres north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, the university is one of the largest public institutions in Ethiopia. Mekelle University has seven colleges, eight (8) institutes, and more than 90 undergraduate and 70 postgraduate programmes.

The colleges offered by Mekelle University include: College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, College of Law and Governance, College of Social Sciences and Languages, College of Business and Economics, College of Health Sciences and Ayder Referral Hospital, and College of Veterinary Science.