Top 10 Largest Universities in Nigeria (2023)
University With Highest Population in Nigeria
This article will focus on largest universities in Nigeria.
By largest, we do not mean land mass rather by largest we mean universities with largest population in Nigeria.
The number of students seeking admission into Nigeria universities annually is estimated to run in millions.
Most of these students end up without admission due to inability of Nigerian universities to have facilities and logistics to cater for such a teeming population.
Universities in Nigeria are unequal both in land mass, number of students / staff as well as infrastructure.
Some universities are bigger and larger than others either by land mass, or by infrastructure or number of students.
In this article, we will be talking about biggest and largest universities in Nigeria by number of students.
Read on to find universities in Nigeria with largest population of students.
The biggest universities in Nigeria by number of students is very interesting.
The students here includes both undergraduate and Postgraduate students.
The list of biggest universities in Nigeria will be significant to educational NGOs and other stakeholders who might be indeed of engaging the students in very high numbers.
Below are ten (10) biggest universities in Nigeria.
National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)
National Open University of Nigeria is the largest university in Nigeria with an estimated students population of around 400,000.
National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the largest open and distance learning institute on the whole African continent.
However, active student of NOUN is about 150,000. The university is based and headquartered in Abuja but has numerous campuses across Nigeria states.
This makes NOUN the most populous university in Nigeria.
University of Lagos (UNILAG)
University of Lagos, is second largest university in Nigeria by population.
The federal government owned universities is estimated to have a population of N58,000 students.
This places UNILAG as the university with biggest population in south west or Yorubaland.
University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan is the 3rd largest university in Nigeria with a student population of about 41,000 students. The university is in Oyo State, Yorubaland.
University of Benin (UNIBEN)
University of Benin, a federal university in Benin City south south Nigeria is rated among the biggest in the country.
The university has an estimate population of about 40,000 students.
University of Port Harcourt
This another top university in Nigeria with one of the biggest population of students. Population of UNIPORT students is estimated to be 39,000.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka is estimated to have a student population of around 37,000 students.
This places the federal university in the list of biggest universities in Nigeria.
University of Nigeria Nsukka
The Nigeria pioneer university, University of Nigeria Nsukka is one of the Largest universities in Nigeria with estimate population of 36,000 students. This makes UNN one of the most populous universities in Eastern Nigeria.
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
Ahmadu Bello University Located in Zaria Kaduna state is also one of the largest universities in Nigeria.
ABU as popularly called is estimated to have students population of 35,000. This makes Ahmadu Bello University the most populous University in Northern Nigeria.
Lagos State University (LASU)
Lagos State university is the only state university on the list of biggest universities in Nigeria by population. LASU population is estimated at 33,000.
Obafemi Awolowo University
Obafemi Awolowo University popularly called OAU is a federal university in Osun. The university is ranked among the most populous in Nigeria with a population number of about 26,000 students.
University of Maiduguri
University of Maiduguri is also among the largest and most populous universities in Nigeria. The higher institution is estimated to have about 25,000.
