🇳🇬 How to apply to university in Nigeria

Applications go through JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) — UTME and Direct Entry. Programmes usually start: Once a year; each university sets its session calendar.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) — UTME and Direct EntryEntry to Nigerian universities runs through JAMB's UTME (or Direct Entry for holders of qualifying higher qualifications), followed by each university's own screening.
When programmes start: Once a year; each university sets its session calendar.
International applicants: Foreign applicants should ask the university whether they must sit the UTME; JAMB runs registration and the exam in a few cities abroad, with help from the Nigerian mission there.
Language: English.

Key dates

JAMB announces UTME and Direct Entry registration early each year; the 2027 dates weren't published when checked.

The dates for the next intake haven't been published yet. We add them once the official source does.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Nigeria, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Choose universities and programmes and check their O-level requirements.
2.Register for the UTME (or Direct Entry) when JAMB opens registration — JAMB also registers candidates at a few foreign centres, including Accra, Johannesburg and London.
3.Sit the UTME.
4.Take the university's own screening (post-UTME), where it has one.
5.Accept the admission offered through JAMB's admissions system.
6.Get a student visa and residence permit from the Nigeria Immigration Service if you're not Nigerian.

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Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.

JAMB — Frequently asked questions