Boarding on a budget
Cheapest boarding schools in Nigeria: 29 with a sourced fee under ₦400,000 a term
Boarding in Nigeria runs from about ₦35,000 a term at a Lagos State model college to more than ₦5m a session on the Lekki corridor. This page is the affordable end: every boarding school in our city guides that has a sourced fee figure under ₦400,000 a term, ordered cheapest first, with the source beside each figure.
The cheapest tier is the government's: the federal unity colleges (tuition free, ₦100,000 a term for boarding and levies), the state model colleges, and the Army, Navy and Air Force schools, all of which admit by examination. Below ₦300,000 a term the private and mission boarding schools thin out quickly, and the list says which ones publish a figure.
29 schools listed, 29 with a fee figure and its source. Updated 21 September 2026.
How this list is ordered
Ordered by the lowest sourced fee per term (yearly figures divided by three), cheapest first, across every boarding school in the SchoolRegistry city guides. A school that publishes no figure cannot appear here, however cheap it is; that is the price of a sourced list. Position is not a judgement of teaching quality.
- •A sourced fee under ₦400,000 a term
- •Boarding confirmed
- •Ownership: federal, state, military, mission or private
- •City guide the row comes from, linked below
Fees. Boarding invoices have two parts, tuition and the boarding charge, and most published figures show only the first. 'Estimate' comes from the named third-party page linked beside the figure. Ask every school for the boarding line, feeding, bedding, medicals and the provisions list before you compare.
The list
| # | School | Area | Type | Fees | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos State Model College, Meiran Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Meiran, Agbado | Lagos State boarding college | ₦35,000 to ₦100,000 per termestimate Source: LASU Info (2025) Lagos State's model colleges charge a subsidised boarding fee set by the state; the figure quoted is the published range for 2025. | One of the Lagos State model colleges, the state government's own boarding schools, with entry by the state placement examination. The cheapest boarding route in Lagos after the unity colleges. |
| 2 | Queen Amina College, Kaduna Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Kaduna | Kaduna State, girls, boarding | ₦50,000 to ₦200,000 per termestimate Third-party listing; state boarding fees are usually well under this range. | The state's flagship girls' boarding college, the counterpart to Barewa. |
| 3 | Nigerian · Boys · Day and boarding | Lagos Island (senior) and Victoria Island (junior) | Federal unity college, day and boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition at federal unity colleges is free; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies, per the FIJ breakdown. Confirm the current figure with the college. | Nigeria's oldest federal secondary school, opened in 1909, with an alumni list that runs through every profession in the country. Entry is by the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 4 | Nigerian · Girls · Day and boarding | Yaba | Federal unity college, day and boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition at federal unity colleges is free; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies, per the FIJ breakdown. Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' counterpart to King's College, on Yaba's Onike side since 1927. Same national admission route and fee scale. |
| 5 | Federal Government College, Ijanikin Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Ijanikin, Badagry road | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition at federal unity colleges is free; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies, per the FIJ breakdown. Confirm the current figure with the college. | The co-educational unity college for Lagos, on the Badagry road west of the city. Places by merit and state quota through the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 6 | Doregos Private Academy Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ipaja | Private, day and boarding | ₦100,000 to ₦400,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) The listed range spans day and boarding. | The main boarding option on the Ipaja and Alimosho side, where most of Lagos's population lives and few of the well-known schools are. |
| 7 | Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Bwari | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Unity college fees are set nationally by the Federal Ministry of Education; the 2024 revision took the term fee to about ₦100,000. Admission is through the National Common Entrance Examination. | One of the three federal unity colleges in the FCT, and the girls' boarding option. Entry is by the National Common Entrance Examination, not by ability to pay. |
| 8 | Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Kwali | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Nationally set unity college fee; confirm the current figure with the college. | The co-educational unity college for the FCT, about 70 km from the city centre on the Lokoja road. Same national admission route and fee scale as every other unity college. |
| 9 | Federal Government Boys' College, Apo Nigerian · Boys · Boarding | Apo | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Nationally set unity college fee; confirm the current figure with the college. | Named on two of the five lists. The boys' unity college inside the city, which makes it the easiest of the three for Abuja families to visit. |
| 10 | Federal Government College, Enugu Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Enugu | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The unity college for Enugu State, co-educational boarding, entry by the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 11 | Federal Government Girls' College, Lejja Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Lejja, Nsukka | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' unity college in Enugu State, at Lejja near Nsukka; same national admission route and fee scale. |
| 12 | College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) Nigerian · Boys · Day and boarding | Uwani, Enugu | Catholic mission, boys, day and boarding | ₦100,000 to ₦250,000 per termestimate Source: Joliba directory (2025) Range as listed; confirm day and boarding separately. | The Catholic diocese's boys' college since 1942, returned to the church under the Enugu State hand-back; the Enugu counterpart of St Gregory's in Lagos. |
| 13 | Mea Mater Elizabeth High School Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Enugu East | Private, day and boarding | ₦100,000 to ₦300,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) | Runs an annual academic award of ₦100,000 in the founder's name, one of the few Enugu schools with a published prize. |
| 14 | Federal Government College, Kaduna Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Malali, Kaduna | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The unity college for Kaduna State at Malali, co-educational boarding, entry by the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 15 | Federal Government Girls' College, Zaria Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Zaria | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' unity college in Kaduna State; same national admission route and fee scale. |
| 16 | Federal Science and Technical College, Kafanchan Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Kafanchan | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The technical and vocational stream of the unity system for southern Kaduna, co-educational boarding. |
| 17 | Federal Government College, Port Harcourt Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Port Harcourt | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The unity college for Rivers State, co-educational boarding, entry by the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 18 | Federal Government Girls' College, Abuloma Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Abuloma | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' unity college in Rivers State, at Abuloma on the city's south side; same national admission route and fee scale. |
| 19 | Federal Government College, Ogbomoso Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Ogbomoso | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The co-educational unity college for Oyo State, at Ogbomoso about 100 km north of Ibadan. |
| 20 | Federal Government Girls' College, Oyo Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Oyo town | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' unity college for the state, at Oyo town. |
| 21 | Federal Government College, Kano Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Kano | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The unity college for Kano State, co-educational boarding, entry by the National Common Entrance Examination. |
| 22 | Federal Government Girls' College, Minjibir Nigerian · Girls · Boarding | Minjibir | Federal unity college, boarding | ₦100,000 per termestimate Tuition is free at federal unity colleges; the ₦100,000 a term set in 2023 covers boarding, feeding, insurance and levies (FIJ breakdown). Confirm the current figure with the college. | The girls' unity college in Kano State, at Minjibir north-east of the city. |
| 23 | Holy Rosary College, Port Harcourt Nigerian · Girls · Day and boarding | Port Harcourt | Catholic mission, girls, day and boarding | ₦150,000 to ₦350,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) | The Holy Rosary Sisters' girls' college in Port Harcourt. |
| 24 | Kingston College Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ibadan | Private, day and boarding | ₦150,000 to ₦500,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) The listed range spans day and boarding. | Named on two of the thirteen lists; one of the few Ibadan schools with a published range. |
| 25 | University of Nigeria Secondary School, Enugu Campus Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding | UNEC, Enugu | University staff school, day and boarding | ₦180,000 per termestimate The figure is the hostel charge per term after the 2025 increase; tuition is separate. | The University of Nigeria's own secondary school on the Enugu campus, with hostels; fees are set by the university council. |
| 26 | Caleb International College Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Magodo | Private, day and boarding | ₦200,000 to ₦700,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) The listed range spans day and boarding. | The Magodo boarding and day college of the Caleb group, which also runs a university in Imota. |
| 27 | Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding | Goshen City, Abuja-Keffi Road | Private mission (Living Faith), boarding | ₦200,000 to ₦285,900 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) JSS ₦200,000 to ₦261,500 and SS ₦270,000 to ₦285,900 per term, plus a small PTA levy. One of the few boarding schools on this list under ₦300,000 a term. | Named on two of the five lists. A Living Faith (Winners) mission boarding school about 26 km out on the Keffi road; the lowest published boarding fee among the private schools here. |
| 28 | Chalcedony School Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ibeju-Lekki | Private, day and boarding | ₦300,000 to ₦700,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) | Named on two of the fourteen lists; on the Ibeju-Lekki side of the corridor. |
| 29 | Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Rumuokwurushi | Private, day and boarding | ₦350,000 to ₦600,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2024) | Named on three of the eight lists; a large campus on the Rumuokwurushi side with boarding. |
Run a school on this list, or know a figure is out of date? Claim the profile and correct it; corrections with a fee schedule attached go live the same week.
The government tier
The 99 federal unity colleges charge the same nationally set ₦100,000 a term, with tuition free, and admit through the National Common Entrance Examination. The Lagos State model colleges charge a state-subsidised fee and admit through the state placement examination. The Army's Command schools, the Navy secondary schools and the Air Force schools admit civilians by entrance examination at a civilian rate that is still well under most private boarding fees. Between them they are the cheapest recognised boarding places in the country, and the hardest to get into.
What a cheap boarding fee leaves out
Uniforms, sportswear, books, a mattress and hostel kit, provisions each term, medical cover and transport home at exeats. Budget roughly double the term fee for the first term at any of the government colleges, and ask the school for last year's full invoice for a new JSS1 boarder.
Questions parents ask about this list
What is the cheapest boarding school in Nigeria?
The Lagos State model colleges at a published ₦35,000 to ₦100,000 a term, then the 99 federal unity colleges at ₦100,000 a term with tuition free. Both admit by examination.
Can a civilian child board at a military school?
Yes. Nigerian Military School Zaria, the Command secondary schools, the Navy secondary schools and the Air Force secondary schools all admit civilians by entrance examination, at a higher rate than service families.
Why are some well-known cheap boarding schools missing?
Because they publish no fee figure and no source we would cite prints one. The list is sourced or it is nothing; the city guides linked below list those schools with 'not published'.
Do these fees include boarding?
Only where the note says so. Most published figures are tuition only.