Nigerian university hikes fees, students to pay up to N290,000

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has increased its undergraduate registration charges, raising fears that Nigerian universities may begin another round of fee hikes.

The new charges, contained in a schedule approved by the university, take effect from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The revised schedule represents a substantial increase from the N62,000 – N84,000 paid by students in the previous academic session.

Students are now required to pay between N143,000 and N298,000 depending on their programme and level.

New fee schedule

According to the new fee schedule, 100-level students of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), which costs N82,000, have now risen to N242,000 in the incoming academic year.

For Dentistry, the 100-level charge has risen from N82,625 to N242,000, while Law students will now pay N182,000 at 100 level, up from N82,625 under the previous schedule.

The charge for 100-level students in major Engineering programmes, including Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, has increased from N82,625 to N172,000.

For Nursing Science, the 100-level charge has risen from N78,875 to N212,000. Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Radiography students will also pay N212,000 at the 100 level, up from N78,875 previously.

The charge for Veterinary Medicine has increased from N82,625 to N232,000, while Computer Science students will now pay N172,000 at 100 level, compared with N82,625 under the previous schedule.

Similarly, 100-level students of Accounting, Economics and Public Administration will now pay N152,000, up from N75,125 previously.

NANS, students react

The latest increase at ABU has drawn reactions from Nigerians who accused the university of an outrageous fee hike.

Reacting to the fee hike on his Facebook page, NANS President, Akinteye Afeez, described the hike as a “joke taken too far”.

“The VC should just resign if he can’t run the school again successfully,” he wrote.

Students have also taken to social media, including the university page’s comments section, to express their dissatisfaction.

“Things are getting worse, this is the same ABU we recently paid N31,500 as tuition fee. The series of increments are not just surprising but outrageous. There’s no education for the common man anymore,” said Bisallah Abuhaneefah.

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The last time Nigerian universities witnessed such a substantial fee hike was in 2022, shortly after the eight-month industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

After the strike, several federal universities reviewed their fee hike, citing rising costs of running universities, teaching and learning materials and other operational expenses.

Despite protests by Nigerian students, the fees were never fully reversed.

Less than a month after he assumed office in 2023, President Bola Tinubu provided assent to a bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

ASUU rejected the initiative, including the proposal for it to have a representative on the board of the Fund.

The academic union warned that the Fund was a pretext for a fee hike on Nigerian campuses.