As of January 2021, the University of Ibadan was the leading University in Nigeria. It was founded in 1948 and is the oldest university in the Country. Covenant University Ota, founded in 2002 in Ogun, followed in the ranking. Furthermore, there were *** universities in Nigeria as of 2020, of which ** are private institutions. This ranking is mainly based on webometrics, which is the web visibility of the academic institutions.
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Nigeria NG: School Enrollment: Tertiary: % Gross data was reported at 10.169 % in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.567 % for 2010. Nigeria NG: School Enrollment: Tertiary: % Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 3.413 % from Dec 1975 (Median) to 2011, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.484 % in 2005 and a record low of 0.741 % in 1975. Nigeria NG: School Enrollment: Tertiary: % Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Tertiary education, whether or not to an advanced research qualification, normally requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).
There were over 270 universities in Nigeria as of 2024, two of which were founded within the first half of that year. Of the total count, 149 were private while state and federal universities added up to 63 and 62, respectively. Some of Nigeria's oldest universities are the University of Ibadan, the University of Nigeria, the Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Lagos. These four institutions were founded between the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1960s. Nigeria’s biggest institutes As of 2019, the National Open University of Nigeria was the largest university in Nigeria by number of students. The number of all students enrolled in this institution reached 565,000 in the said year. The National Open University of Nigeria is one of the largest open and distance learning institutes in Africa. It is based in Abuja but has several campuses across Nigeria. What Nigerians study the most There were over 1.8 million full-time undergraduate university students in Nigeria as of 2019. Sciences and social sciences were the most common disciplines chosen by Nigerian students. Administration and management followed as the third most popular faculty. Among master and diploma students, however, administration and management had the largest number of students.
In the 2018/2019 school year, 8.6 million children in Nigeria were enrolled in pre-primary education or Early Childhood Care and Development Education (ECCDE). The ECCDE is offered by both private and public entities. In primary schools, the number of pupils added up to over 28 million as of the 2017/2018 academic year. Moreover, institutions designed for primary education amounted to approximately 116.9 thousand, most of which were concentrated in Lagos. Although primary education is free and compulsory in Nigeria, a section of the population had never attended school as of 2020.
Secondary school education
Nigerian students attend junior and senior secondary schools after obtaining primary education. However, instead of secondary school, individuals can complete secondary vocational and post-secondary vocational training. In the 2018/2019 academic year, junior secondary school enrollees reached an approximate total of 7.4 million, the majority of which were boys. In the same year, students receiving senior secondary education amounted to some 5.2 million individuals.
Tertiary education
There were 170 universities in Nigeria as of 2021, which comprised federal, state and private establishments. In 2019, more than 1.8 million undergraduate students were counted in the country. On the other hand, the number of master students reached around 121.7 thousand, the majority of which were men. Moreover, individuals pursuing a Master of Philosophy degree (PhD) in the country totaled around 17.5 thousand.
In 2020, some ** percent of children in Nigeria completed the last grade of elementary school, with **** percent of males and **** percent of females. In the following educational levels, the disparity between male students and female students became larger, reaching a gap of **** and **** percentage points in the completion rates of middle school and high school, respectively.
Nigeria has the highest number of universities in Africa. As of July 2023, Nigeria counted *** higher institutions. Many African universities are located in North African countries. Tunisia has *** universities, the second-highest number, while Morocco has ***.
In the academic year 2018/2019, Nigerian universities counted 1.8 million undergraduate students and 242 thousand postgraduate students. Among master students, women accounted for 38 percent of the total, while the female percentage among bachelor students was 44 percent.
Nigeria's largest university is the National Open University of Nigeria, which had over half million students as of 2019.
In 2019, there were over 1.8 million full-time undergraduate university students in Nigeria. Sciences and social sciences counted the highest number of students. There were some considerable differences in the enrollment of female and male students. In the faculties of engineering and technology, and computing, male students represented the vast majority.
According to a recent survey conducted in Nigeria, the mean age at school start is higher in rural than in urban areas. Young respondents from rural Nigeria stated to have started school on average at 5.5 years old, while interviewees from urban areas initiated school more than one year earlier. In addition, the mean age when starting to work is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Children in urban areas are more likely to attend school for a longer time than those from rural Nigeria.
In the first quarter of 2022, Nigeria's education sector grew only slightly in real terms compared to the same period in the previous year. This represented a less than *** percent growth in each quarter.
In the academic year 2018/2019, there were *** million undergraduate students in Nigerian universities. About *** thousand were female students, which accounted for around ** percent of all students enrolled in undergraduate programs at Nigerian universities.
In 2024, the estimated youth unemployment rate in Nigeria was at almost 5.05 percent. According to the source, the data are estimates from the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations developing policies to set labor standards. Employment in Nigeria The youth unemployment rate refers to the percentage of the unemployed in the age group of 15 to 24 years as compared to the total labor force. Youth unemployment rates are often higher than overall unemployment rates, which is true in Nigeria as well: the general rate of unemployment was approximately six percent in 2018. One reason for this contrast is that many of the youth under age 24 are studying full-time and are unavailable for work due to this. Education in Nigeria Nigeria’s population has a large percentage of young inhabitants, and there is a high demand for educational opportunities for its young populace. After severe cuts in governmental aid following a nationwide recession in 2016, Nigeria’s underfunded higher education system became the focus of ongoing student protests and strikes. Other families have taken a different approach: Nigeria is the top country of origin for international students from the continent of Africa. For example, Nigeria sent over 12,600 students to the U.S. in 2017/18, the most of any African country.
In Nigeria, the out-of-school rate was considered high for all educational levels in 2018. For children in primary school age, this share amounted to 28 percent. In upper secondary education, the out-of-school rate was even steeper, at nearly 41 percent.
In 2019, there were some 73.4 thousand academic employees working at universities in Nigeria, including professors, readers, and lecturers. Male staff represented the majority in all disciplines. Sciences faculties, which counted the largest academic staff, had 10.8 thousand male personnel and 3.2 female employees. The lowest number of women working as academic staff among the various faculties was recorded in genetics and biotechnology, with 125 female employees.
As of 2019, the National Open University of Nigeria was the largest university in the country in terms of number of students. That year, the number of all students enrolled reached 565 thousand. The National Open University of Nigeria is the largest open and distance learning institute on the whole African continent. It is based in Abuja, but has several campuses across Nigeria. Moreover, the University of Maiduguri counted almost 75 thousand students, ranking second in the chart.
The highest literacy rates in Nigeria were registered in the southern regions of the country. In the South West, 89 percent of males and 80.6 percent of females were literate as of 2018. Also, the south zones showed the lowest percentage differences between male and female literacy. Female literacy rate in Nigeria is among the highest in West Africa. The highest female literacy rates were registered in Cabo Verde and Ghana, while Nigeria ranked third.
In 2018, the state university in Nigeria with the highest percentage of female students was the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. Women in this university accounted for around ** percent of the total enrollment. Overall, the share of undergraduate female students in Nigerian state universities was ** percent.
The most expensive federal university for undergraduate programs in Nigeria is the Nigeria Maritime University. In 2019, the average annual tuition fee for its bachelor programs was 81.5 thousand Naira, around 198 U.S. dollars. The Federal University Oye-Ekiti followed with 69 thousand Naira, some 167 U.S. dollars. Only eight federal universities had tuition fees, according to the source.
In 2019, there were 11.9 thousand professors working at Nigerian universities. Female professors were 1.8 thousand, while male professors added up to 10.1 thousand. That year, 1.8 million full-time undergraduate students and 121 thousand full-time master students were enrolled in Nigeria.
Nigeria's largest university is the National Open University of Nigeria, which had almost half million students as of 2017. The University of Lagos ranked that year as Nigeria's second largest university in terms of enrollment.
In the academic year 2017/2018, there were nearly ************ students in Nigerian Law Schools. The majority of them studied in the cities of Abuja, Enugu, and Kano. Anyone who aims to practice as a lawyer in Nigeria must attend the Nigerian Law School.
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As of January 2021, the University of Ibadan was the leading University in Nigeria. It was founded in 1948 and is the oldest university in the Country. Covenant University Ota, founded in 2002 in Ogun, followed in the ranking. Furthermore, there were *** universities in Nigeria as of 2020, of which ** are private institutions. This ranking is mainly based on webometrics, which is the web visibility of the academic institutions.