The Federal Government has raised the application fee for establishing private universities in Nigeria from N5 million to N25 million.
The announcement was made in a memo issued on Monday by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu. According to the commission, the increase is part of efforts to enhance the quality of private universities and ensure they are well-positioned to address contemporary educational challenges.
The NUC also stated that it had reviewed the guidelines for setting up private universities to improve coordination and efficiency in the sector.
“This adjustment aims to ensure that new private universities are adequately structured to meet the demands of the 21st century,” the memo read.
Additionally, the commission announced the suspension of inactive applications, including those for private open universities that have shown no progress in over two years. Applications that have only reached the stage of submitting letters of intent have also been put on hold.
As part of the revised guidelines, the cost of purchasing an application form for a private university has been increased from N1 million to N5 million.
Applicants who have already purchased forms will be required to pay the updated processing fee within 30 working days. Failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of their applications, the NUC warned.