NUC suspends private varsity approvals for one year, increases licensing fee

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced a one-year suspension on the approval of licenses for new private universities in Nigeria, effective Monday, February 10, 2025.

As part of the new directive, the Commission also increased the processing fee for establishing private universities from ₦5 million to ₦25 million.

Since 1999, a total of 149 private universities have been approved by the Federal Government through the NUC, contributing to the expansion of higher education in Nigeria.

In a statement titled “Moratorium on the Establishment of New Private Universities in Nigeria,” the NUC also raised the fee for purchasing application forms for the establishment of private universities from N1m to N5m.

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, explained that the Commission was working to reposition private universities in Nigeria to better meet the needs of the public and improve the coordination of the private university education sub-sector within the Nigerian University System (NUS).

The review of the guidelines for establishing private universities, he said, aims to ensure that newly established institutions can address the challenges of the 21st century.

The Commission also announced the suspension of further processing for inactive applications, including those from private open universities that have not made progress or submitted documents to the Commission for over two years.

Additionally, applications at the stage of submitting Letters of Intent will no longer be processed. The revised processing fee of N25,000,000 applies only to applicants who have already purchased application forms.

These applicants are required to make payments within 30 working days or risk forfeiting their pending applications.

The NUC has also imposed a moratorium on new applications for the establishment of private universities, including private open universities, for a one-year period. This moratorium is designed to allow the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of pending applications and determine their viability.

The Commission is also reviewing other aspects of the guidelines for establishing private universities to ensure that the proposed institutions are equipped to meet future challenges. It said details of the review will be communicated to stakeholders in due course.

Professor Ribadu further clarified that the NUC will continue to process active applications and make appropriate recommendations to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

“The Commission hereby suspends further processing of all inactive applications including those of private open universities (i.e. those that have not made progress on their applications or made submissions to the Commission for upwards of two years).

“Applications at the stage of submission of Letters of Intent only. The fee for the purchase of application forms for the establishment of a private university is hereby reviewed from One Million (N1,000,000.00) Naira to (Five Million (N5,000,000.00) Naira;

“The Processing Fee for Application for the Establishment of a Private University is hereby reviewed from Five Million (N5,000,000.00) Naira to Twenty-Five Million (N25,000,000.00) Naira;

“The NUC will convey the reviewed Processing Fee of Twenty-Five Million (¥25,000,000.00) Naira to applicants that have purchased Application Forms only. They are also expected to effect payments within a period of thirty (30) working days or risk forfeiture of their pending applications,” he added.