There were over 270 universities in Nigeria as of 2024, two of which were founded within the first half of that year. Of the total count, 149 were private while state and federal universities added up to 63 and 62, respectively. Some of Nigeria's oldest universities are the University of Ibadan, the University of Nigeria, the Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Lagos. These four institutions were founded between the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1960s.
Nigeria’s biggest institutes
As of 2019, the National Open University of Nigeria was the largest university in Nigeria by number of students. The number of all students enrolled in this institution reached 565,000 in the said year. The National Open University of Nigeria is one of the largest open and distance learning institutes in Africa. It is based in Abuja but has several campuses across Nigeria.
What Nigerians study the most
There were over 1.8 million full-time undergraduate university students in Nigeria as of 2019. Sciences and social sciences were the most common disciplines chosen by Nigerian students. Administration and management followed as the third most popular faculty. Among master and diploma students, however, administration and management had the largest number of students.
Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership
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National Universities Commission. (July 16, 2024). Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/
National Universities Commission. "Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership." Chart. July 16, 2024. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/
National Universities Commission. (2024). Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/
National Universities Commission. "Number of Universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by Ownership." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Jul 2024, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/
National Universities Commission, Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Number of universities in Nigeria as of 2024, by ownership [Graph], National Universities Commission, July 16, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1130701/number-of-universities-in-nigeria/