List of Top 100 Universities in Nigeria 2024 (Private, States and Federal)

National University Commission (NUC) in conjunction with 4icu.org, a globally respected website and an authority in the business of university rankings in the world performs its yearly ritual of coming up with the list top universities in the world at large.

Yearly, Universities are springing up from the different Geo political zones of Nigeria, 80% of these universities are Privately owned, some are accredited while others are not.

Recently, the Federal Ministry of Education through her agency, the National Universities Commissions published a list of Fake or better put, Dis-accredited Universities currently operating in Nigeria and warned the general public against falling victim. The outcry by the public as regards wanting to know which university is accredited necessitated the move to bring to your notice, the list of top 100 Universities in Nigeria as at 2024.

The universities listed here are duly accredited and courses and award of Degrees are approved by a working Senate so that alone concretizes the authenticity of this list.

Today we are focusing our radar on the list of 100 universities in Nigeria, this time we are leaving no stone upturned as we dig deep into all states, Federal and private universities.

There have been cases where other blogs list out the top 10 universities in Nigeria, top 20 Universities in Nigeria and the list keeps growing without substantial evidences to back up their claims.

Please note that the universities listed here do not in any way have a permanent position, they can either drop in the ranking or go higher as this depends on a whole lot of factors.

4icu alongside the NUC ranking are based on various factors, lets take a look at some of the major factors for ranking these universities.

SIX (6) FACTORS FOR RANKING THE TOP 100 BEST UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

A) SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE UNIVERSITY:

Despite size not being a major ranking factor, it can be listed as one of the attributes when discussing about top universities in Nigeria. There have been cases where people confuse the school with the biggest Landmass as the biggest University in Nigeria, its is a very wrong notion. Take Lagos state for instance, in terms of Landmass, Lagos is one of the smallest states but regarded as the biggest and most populous in terms of development.

So in this case we are referring to the developed areas within the school and not just the size of the land the university is built on.

B) AVAILABILITY OF ADEQUATE LEARNING FACILITIES:

It is not enough to have a lecture hall as even villages have town halls, what distinguishes halls are the specific needs they are built for. University lecture halls must be equipped with adequate desks and tables, public address systems, write materials and other facilities for carrying out practicals when it does not require going to the Laboratory.

The lecture halls usually ought to come with Air conditioners to cozen up the room temperature, though in the Nigerian setting, this seems like too much to ask for, it is such a pity.

C) QUALIFICATIONS OF LECTURERS:

We based our ranking too on this factor. A major and important raking attribute when listing the top 100 universities in Nigeria. The quality service imparted in the students can make or mar the quality of graduates the school produces yearly and this has a chain effect on the economy as well.

Some times it is not wholly about the qualifications of these lecturers because there is a big difference between having a knowledge and the ability to pass it on to others, though that is not to override the importance of being qualified.

Qualification and quality go hand in hand most times, the higher your qualifications, the better qualified you are for the job and that talks a lot about the quality of service you can render.

You can imagine an ageing Professor in a lecture hall of about 400 students, truth be told, there will be no effective means of passing his messages across and managing such crowd.

For a university to maintain its spot on the list of top universities in Nigeria, there should be an average increase in quality young and fresh lecturers at least every four (4) sessions. The number of Masters degree holders (a minimum qualification that must be strictly adhered to), Ph.D holders and Professors are also factors that were taken into account based on the ranking.

D) SPEED OF ACADEMIC CALENDAR (SESSION)

No student wants to spend more than the required number of years required for his or her course. By default, the university with the fastest academic calendar attracts the most candidates during UTME admission applications. So far, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), ranks as the university with the fastest academic session in Nigeria, how is that possible? they broke out off ASUU and when it comes to disciplined lecturers, you can count on them.

Some of the under-listed schools can be counted on in terms of having a speedy academic calendar, which is the reason they posses the bragging rights of being among the top 100 best universities in Nigeria.

E) NUMBER OF FIRST CLASS AND SECOND CLASS UPPER GRADUATES

The number of Fist class is synonymous with the quality of lecturers in the university. To whom much is given, much is expected. Since lecturers spend valuable time with their students, it is normal when the students learn faster and gain more.

Ranking the best universities in Nigeria based on the number of First class and Second class upper has never being overestimated as this talks a whole lot about the quality of education being impacted on the students and in turn has a positive effect on the image of the university because they take the credit and not the lecturers who did the job.

F) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:

This is where all Nigerian Universities which includes Federal, States and Private Universities have failed woefully. In other developed worlds, innovations and inventions come from the universities.

Aside lecturing, lecturers take pride in carrying our researches of various kinds and have their names listed as a team of researchers that concluded or found the result to an age long inquiry.

Here our university lecturers are best at selling hand-outs and forcing students to buy half baked plagiarized text books that practically holds no water, LOL! this is not to say there are none at all, in as much as they careless about researches, a fair share of the blame goes to the Federal and state government too who totally lack any sense of commitment to this very important area.

A country cannot grow without a solid R&D Research and Development ministry if there is anything called that because It is the backbone of any nation.

Just a few of the universities listed here carry out researches in their little ways, you can see them based on the ranking below.

There are other factors for ranking the best universities in Nigeria but for the sake of trying not to over bore you with too many words, lets go straight to the list of top 100 universities in Nigeria

Below is the list of top 100 Universities in Nigeria for the year 2024 go through and see the number your university falls

LIST OF TOP 100 UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA 2024 (PRIVATE STATES & FEDERAL)

Rank	University	Location
1	University of Ibadan	Ibadan
2	University of Lagos	Lagos
3	Obafemi Awolowo University	Ile-Ife
4	Ahmadu Bello University	Zaria
5	University of Ilorin	Ilorin
6	Covenant University	Ota
7	University of Nigeria	Nsukka …
8	University of Benin	Ugbowo …
9	University of Abuja	Abuja
10	University of Port Harcourt	Port Harcourt
11	Federal University of Technology, Minna	Minna
12	Federal University of Technology, Owerri	Owerri
13	University of Agriculture, Abeokuta	Abeokuta …
14	Federal University, Oye-Ekiti	Oye …
15	Usmanu Danfodio University	Sokoto
16	Lagos State University	Ojo
17	Federal University of Technology, Akure	Akure
18	Babcock University	Ilishan-Remo …
19	Bayero University Kano	Kano
20	American University of Nigeria	Yola
21	Ladoke Akintola University of Technology	Ogbomoso …
22	Afe Babalola University	Ado-Ekiti
23	University of Jos	Jos
24	Landmark University	Omu-Aran
25	Nnamdi Azikiwe University	Awka …
26	University of Uyo	Uyo
27	Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University	Bauchi
28	Michael Okpara University of Agriculture	Umuahia
29	Enugu State University of Science and Technology	Enugu
30	Rivers State University of Science and Technology	Port Harcourt
31	Adekunle Ajasin University	Akungba Akoko …
32	Benue State University	Makurdi
33	Redeemer’s University	Mowe
34	Kwara State University	Ilorin
35	Veritas University	Abuja
36	Osun State University	Oshogbo …
37	University of Agriculture, Makurdi	Makurdi
38	Nasarawa State University	Keffi
39	African University of Science and Technology	Abuja
40	Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti	Ado-Ekiti
41	University of Calabar	Calabar
42	Kogi State University	Anyigba
43	Tai Solarin University of Education	Ijebu-Ode …
44	Federal University, Dutsin-Ma	Dutsin-Ma
45	Ebonyi State University	Abakaliki
46	Federal University, Ndufu-Alike	Ndufu-Alike
47	University of Maiduguri	Maiduguri
48	Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University	Katsina
49	Nile University of Nigeria	Abuja
50	Bowen University	Iwo
51	Al-Hikmah University	Ilorin …
52	Delta State University, Abraka	Abraka
53	Niger Delta University	Wilberforce Island Yenagoa
54	Abia State University	Uturu
55	Ambrose Alli University	Ekpoma
56	Modibbo Adama University of Technology	Yola
57	Federal University, Otuoke	Otuoke
58	Imo State University	Owerri
59	Olabisi Onabanjo University	Ago Iwoye …
60	Federal University of Petroleum Resources	Effurun
61	Kaduna State University	Kaduna
62	Federal University, Lokoja	Lokoja
63	Akwa Ibom State University	Uyo
64	Benson Idahosa University	Benin City
65	Paul University	Awka
66	Federal University, Dutse	Dutse
67	Ajayi Crowther University	Oyo Town
68	Lead City University	Ibadan
69	Bingham University	Auta Balifi
70	Baze University	Abuja
71	Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University	Lapai
72	Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University	Uli
73	Joseph Ayo Babalola University	Ikeji-Arakeji
74	Madonna University	Okija …
75	Crawford University	Faith City …
76	Cross River University of Technology	Calabar …
77	Caritas University	Enugu
78	Ondo State University of Science and Technology	Okitipupa
79	Bells University of Technology	Ota
80	Igbinedion University Okada	Okada …
81	Elizade University	Ilara-Mokin
82	Achievers University, Owo	Owo
83	Caleb University	Imota
84	Kano University of Science and Technology	Wudil
85	Federal University, Lafia	Lafia
86	Sokoto State University	Sokoto
87	Fountain University	Oshogbo
88	Adeleke University	Ede
89	Federal University, Kashere	Kashere
90	Federal University, Wukari	Wukari
91	University of Mkar	Mkar
92	Oduduwa University	Ile Ife
93	Godfrey Okoye University	Ugwuomu-Nike
94	Taraba State University	Jalingo
95	Obong University	Obong Ntak
96	Yobe State University	Damaturu
97	Renaissance University	Enugu
98	Salem University	Lokoja
99	Wellspring University	Benin City
100	Al-Qalam University, Katsina	Katsina

As opined earlier, the ranking is not a permanent one, it changes based on the above factors, any university that either fails to maintain and upgrade drops on the list, however, a university can maintain her position should the management keep up to what is expected by the NUC.

What position does your university fall under the list of top 100 universities in Nigeria? please note that this ranking is not cast in stones as they are subject to change

If you have any question as regards the list of top 100 universities in Nigeria for 2024, kindly get back to us via the comment section below and we shall respond accordingly

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