Kehinde Fajobi
The Federal Government has increased the application fee for new private universities from ₦5 million to ₦25 million, according to a memo issued on Monday by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu.
The NUC stated that the decision aims to reposition private universities for better service delivery and improve coordination within the sector. It also noted the need to review existing guidelines for establishing private institutions.
“This is to ensure that newly established private universities are positioned to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” the memo read.
“Pursuant to the above and in line with the directive of the Honourable Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission hereby informs Promoters of proposed Private Universities in particular and the general public as follows:”
The memo further outlined key changes, including the suspension of inactive applications, particularly those that have made no progress for over two years, as well as submissions that are only at the Letter of Intent stage.
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“The fee for the purchase of Application Forms for the establishment of a private university is hereby reviewed from One Million (₦1,000,000.00) Naira to Five Million (₦5,000,000.00) Naira,” it stated.
“The Processing Fee for Application for the Establishment of a Private University is hereby reviewed from Five Million (₦5,000,000.00) Naira to Twenty-Five Million (₦25,000,000.00) Naira.”
The commission warned that applicants who have already purchased forms must pay the new processing fee within 30 working days or risk losing their applications.