The Federal Government has increased the processing fees for establishing new private universities in Nigeria to N25 million, up from the previous N5 million.
This was announced in a memo issued on Monday by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu.
According to the NUC, the fee hike is part of its efforts to enhance the private university sector, ensuring it better serves the needs of Nigerians. The Commission also stated that it has recognized the need to review the guidelines for establishing private universities to improve the coordination and development of the sub-sector within the Nigerian University System.
The memo stated, “This measure aims to ensure that newly established private universities are well-equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In line with this objective and following the directive of the Honourable Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) hereby informs promoters of proposed private universities and the general public that; “The Commission is suspending further processing of all inactive applications, including those for private open universities—specifically, applications that have remained stagnant for over two years without progress or submissions to the Commission.
Applications that are only at the stage of submitting Letters of Intent.”
The fee for purchasing application forms for the establishment of a private university has been increased from One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) to Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00). Similarly, the processing fee for private university applications has been raised from Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00) to Twenty-Five Million Naira (N25,000,000.00).
The NUC will formally communicate the revised processing fee of Twenty-Five Million Naira (N25,000,000.00) to applicants who have already purchased application forms. These applicants must complete payment within thirty (30) working days; failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of their pending applications.
