Nigeria suspends private university approvals, hikes fees
Nigeria has stopped approving new private universities for the next year.
The government says it needs time to review the rules guiding how private universities are set up.
The National Universities Commission (NUC), which oversees university education in Nigeria, announced this decision in a statement.
The suspension began on February 10 and will last for a year. This means no new applications will be accepted during this period.
However, applications that are already in progress and have moved beyond the first stage will still be reviewed and attain government approval if they meet the requirements.
The cost of applying to a private university has also increased from N1 million ($665) to N5 million ($3,325), while the processing fee has jumped from N5 million ($3,325) to N25 million ($16,626).
Those who have already bought application forms must pay the new processing fee within 30 working days, or risk having their applications cancelled.
Private universities have been on the rise in Nigeria, partly because public universities often face strikes by lecturers. Despite this, public universities still take in most students, admitting about 90% of all applicants.
The first private universities in Nigeria—Babcock University, Igbinedion University, and Madonna University—were established in 1999. Since then, many more have been created to meet the growing demand for higher education.
