Ten Nigerian universities alone accounted for one-fifth of the students admitted into Nigerian tertiary institutions last year, data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has shown.
Of the 551,553 students admitted into Nigerian universities as of August, 101,034 students gained admission into these 10 universities.
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) admitted the highest number of students with 13,634. The University of Benin (UNIBEN) followed with 12,336 admission figures. The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) – which admitted the most students in 2019 despite raving insurgency – admitted 11,416 students.
The University of Calabar (UNICAL) admitted 10,888; Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), 10,736; the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), 9,509; the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), 8,502; Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), 8,110; Ekiti State University (EKSU), 8,088; and University of Lagos (UNILAG), 7,815.
The data also shows that more than half of those who sought admission to the Ekiti State University (EKSU) got it. About a third of those who did in UNIMAID, UNIPORT and UNIUYO were admitted.
In UNIBEN, UNICAL and NAU, about a quarter of admission seekers were admitted. FUOYE admitted a little above one-fifth of its admission seekers.
UNILORIN admitted only about 19 per cent (19 in 100) of its applicants, while UNILAG admitted only about 17 per cent (17 in 100) of its applicants.
In 2019, the Universities of Maiduguri, Calabar, Benin, Ilorin, Lagos and Port Harcourt ranked top with student admission.

They were followed by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of Nigeria, Ekiti State University and Rivers State University.
While UNIMAID offered 12,435 students admission, UNICAL offered 12,237; UNIBEN, 11,747; UNILORIN, 11,616; UNILAG, 9,625; UNIPORT, 9,107. NAU admitted 8,880 students; UNN, 8,585; EKSU, 8,119; RSU, 7,843.
2020 JAMB
Data from JAMB showed that 2,110,815 (inclusive of 171,660 direct entry (DE) students) sought admission into 962 institutions in 2020.
Of them, 1,112,057 had five O’level credits (including mathematics and English) and, for non-DE students, scored 140+ in the UTME.
As of August, 551,553 of the students had gained admission. This is approximately half of those with the least prerequisite, barring other institution and course-specific requirements, to be admitted into a tertiary institution.
Relative to the applicants, JAMB admission rate in 2020 was 26 per cent, or about three in ten.
In 2019, about two-thirds of the about two million candidates who applied for tertiary education in the country were not admitted, JAMB’s data showed.
Polytechnic and Monotechnics
As it was last year, Kaduna Polytechnic, (7,740) and Yaba College of Technology (3,651) admitted the highest number of students among the nation’s polytechnics and monotechnics.
Lagos State Polytechnic admitted 2,461 students; Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, 2,422; The Polytechnic, Ibadan, 2,497; Federal Polytechnic, Offa, 2,249; Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, 2,372; Federal Polytechnic, Oko, 2,079; Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, 2,046; Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, 2,004.
Colleges of Education
The Federal College of Education, Zaria, admitted the most students with 5,853; Federal College of Education (Tech.), Gombe, 4,179; Federal College of Education, Kano, 4,090; Federal College of Education, Pankshin, 3,653; Kaduna State College of Education, 3,567.
The Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo admitted 2,767; College of Education, Akwanga, 2,660; FCT College of Education, 2,137; Federal College of Education (Tech.), Potiskum, 1,961; Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, 1,954.
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