The National Universities Commission (NUC) has significantly increased the fees required to establish private universities, raising application costs by over 400 percent in a move aimed at strengthening regulation and aligning with evolving educational standards.
In a statement on Monday, NUC Executive Secretary, Abdullahi Ribadu, announced that the price of an application form has been raised from ₦1 million to ₦5 million, while the processing fee has jumped from ₦5 million to ₦25 million.
The commission also directed that applicants who had previously purchased the form at the old rate but had not yet paid the processing fee must now comply with the updated ₦25 million charge within 30 working days or risk forfeiting their applications.
Additionally, the NUC declared a one-year suspension, starting February 10, 2025, on inactive applications and new submissions for private universities, including private open universities.
“The Commission hereby imposes a moratorium for a period of one year on inactive applications for the establishment of new private universities to enable a comprehensive review of such pending applications,” Ribadu stated.
The suspension affects applications that have been inactive for more than two years, as well as those that have only submitted letters of intent under Step 1 of the 14-step approval process.
Despite the moratorium, Ribadu assured that the commission would continue to process active applications and recommend qualified proposals to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission will continue to process pending active applications and make appropriate recommendations to the Federal Executive Council for approval,” he added.
