No fewer than 20 federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across Nigeria admitted fewer than 1,000 students each during the 2024/2025 academic session, according to data from the Federal Ministry of Education.
The report, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), revealed that despite millions of candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) annually, many newly established and specialised institutions continue to record poor enrolment figures.
The affected institutions include Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education (942 students); Federal University of Agriculture, Mubi (184); Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (568); and Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi (942).
Others are Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny (704); Federal Polytechnic, Wannune (956); Federal Polytechnic, Ukana (455); Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo (65); Federal Polytechnic, N’yak Shendam (89); and Federal Polytechnic, Mongunu (350).
Also listed were Federal Polytechnic, Kabo (713); Federal Polytechnic, Isuochi (118); Federal College of Education, Ilawe (397); Federal College of Education (Technical), Ekiadolor (290); Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu (38); Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze (416); Federal College of Education, Gidan-Madi (481); Federal College of Education, Iwo (592); Federal College of Education, Odugbo (317); and Federal College of Education, Asaba (276).
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier in March expressed concern over the proliferation of higher institutions despite dwindling student enrolment.
“We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there is still intense demand for more universities to be opened. We have to stop that,” he warned.
Nigeria currently has 278 universities — comprising 64 federal, 67 state, and 147 private institutions — in addition to several polytechnics and colleges of education.
To address the imbalance, the Federal Government announced in July that tertiary institutions enrolling fewer than 1,000 students would cease to receive allocations from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) from 2026.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, disclosed this during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions in Abuja, explaining that the move was designed to ensure judicious use of public resources.
She argued that it was inequitable for institutions with minimal enrolment to enjoy the same level of TETFund support as those with higher student populations.
Meanwhile, data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) indicate that more than six million candidates who sat for UTME in the last five years failed to gain admission into tertiary institutions. Out of 8.9 million candidates between 2020 and 2024, only about 2.7 million secured admission.
JAMB attributed the low admission rate to factors such as wrong O’Level subject combinations, poor post-UTME performance, duplication of applications, non-acceptance of offers, and absenteeism during screening exercises.
Education analyst Ayodamola Oluwatoyin told NAN that many students and parents prefer established universities over newly created ones.
“Most candidates prefer older institutions like the University of Ibadan or Ahmadu Bello University to new universities that are still developing. They care about reputation and not just access,” she said.
In response to the trend, the Federal Government has suspended the licensing of new private universities as part of efforts to consolidate existing ones and improve quality and enrolment across the tertiary education system.
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