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One of the biggest wins that humanity has achieved with the internet is the ease of accessing information. This has spurred an open-source culture, in which learning is at once decentralized and globalized. Institutions of higher learning are tapping into the Internet to broaden their reach. In the past few years, we’ve seen the emergence of several online universities in Nigeria.

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Some of these platforms are extensions of preexisting brick-and-mortar institutions. Others are wholly digital spaces. Regardless of their relation to the in-person world, they are enabling a growing number of persons to receive formal education at a high level without being in a physical setting. This tends to be a more flexible model and is friendlier to people who have to work while schooling. Here, we’ll briefly review our picks for top online universities in Nigeria.

Miva Open University

Founded in 2023 by Sim Shagaya, Miva offers undergraduate and MBA degree programs. These programs (about 16 at the moment) are split into three faculties: the School of Computing, the School of Management and Social Sciences, and the School of Allied Health Sciences. The university admits students three times a year: in January, May, and September. There are also 3 admission routes. The General Admission process accepts and reviews applicants who possess O Levels and UTME qualifications. Direct Entry (via HND, IJMB, or JUPEB) and inter-university transfer are other paths to gaining admission at Miva. The application is free. This online university’s tuition fees start at ₦280,000 per session. According to its website, this covers the cost of study material, video, lecture notes, the student management portal, Miva e-library, student mail and Google Suite, and access to examinations.

Nexford University

Nexford is a global online education platform catering to students in over 110 countries. It has become fairly well known in Nigeria, where most of its enrollees are professionals looking to skill up. All of its programs are 100% online. However, there are in-person graduation ceremonies. The programs available from Nexford range from courses and certifications to full degrees. However, MBAs from Nexford are quite popular. Specializations in this category include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, FinTech and Blockchain, E-Commerce, International Business, and Sustainability. Nexford’s admissions process is rather straightforward. All that’s required is a government-issued ID and passport-style photograph, some evidence of completing a prior level of education, and a $25 application fee. A decision on admissions is usually delivered within 7 days of the application date.

National Open University

The National Open University was established in 1983. It is primarily a physical learning institution with centres (over 100 of them) spread out across Nigeria. But it also has a strong distance learning arm. Overall, the university offers more than 120 degree programs, situated in nine faculties.

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NOUN’s distance learning program distributes study materials through mail. These can be obtained through its website. The university says that it’s modelled after the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India. The basic requirement for admission into NOUN is five O’ Level credits (including English and Mathematics). Semester fees have recently been increased, but they remain at the lower end of what’s available in Nigeria.

University of Ibadan Distance Learning

The University of Ibadan is one of Nigeria’s most prestigious tertiary institutions. Its distance learning centre tries to replicate the perceived pedigree of its teaching. The centre does this through two modes: the traditional in-person model, and a hybrid open-distance e-learning approach. It says that its course webinars can cater for 100,000 students. Online lessons from UI are delivered in real-time and allow for interaction between e-tutors on one hand and learners on the other. At the latest count, the centre employs slightly over 50 e-tutors. According to the university, partnerships with leading telecom service providers ensure that learners aren’t charged for data used to access its virtual classrooms. There is a face-to-face component to the UI’s distance learning programs. Students are expected to meet physically with their lecturers for pre-examination revisions, and exams are held in a Computer Based Test (CBT) centre.

Ahmadu Bello University Distance Learning Center

The ABU’s Distance Learning Center began operations in 2016. Starting with six programs at the time, it has recently expanded its offerings to 22, with four new programs added in 2024. The student population for its e-learning services is spread all over Nigeria. There are undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma academic programs taught by the centre. As is the case with some of the others on this list, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is particularly popular with this institution’s distance learners. That’s partly because it’s among the least expensive of its kind provided by a reputable university in the country. Students may be admitted through a general process requiring five O’ Level credits and above cut-off mark scores at JAMB’s UTME. Alternatively, they could be accepted via Direct Entry if their A Levels or Diploma results meet the ABU’s criteria.

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Final Words

The advent of online universities in Nigeria is enabling thousands more people to get quality formal education regardless of where they are. If you would like to take advantage of the opportunities for learning that they provide, you can visit their websites to find out more.

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This article was first published on 22nd February 2025
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ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.