Private universities
Cheapest private universities in Nigeria: 23 with a sourced tuition figure, from ₦70,000 a session
Private university tuition in Nigeria runs from ₦70,000 a session at the cheapest published schedule to above ₦9m for medicine at the dearest. Most of the lists online quote a single 'school fees' figure per university without saying which programme, which level, or whether hostel and levies are inside it. This page prints the lowest sourced tuition per session for each university, says what it covers, and links the source, with the universities that publish their own schedule marked as such.
Ordered cheapest first. A university that publishes nothing we can cite sits at the bottom with 'not published', however cheap it may be by reputation.
33 schools listed, 23 with a fee figure and its source. Updated 22 September 2026.
How this list is ordered
Ordered by the lowest sourced undergraduate tuition per session, cheapest first; universities whose only figures were too vague or programme-specific to compare are listed without a figure at the end. 'Published' means the figure was read on the university's own site; 'estimate' means a named third-party page. Position is not a judgement of teaching quality or NUC standing.
- •Lowest undergraduate tuition per session with a named source
- •Whether the university publishes its own schedule
- •What the figure covers: tuition only, or tuition with accommodation
- •State and town
Fees. Per session (one academic year). Where the source quotes a range across programmes, the low end is the humanities or social sciences and the high end medicine, nursing or law. Acceptance fees, hostel, levies and departmental charges are on top unless the note says the figure is a package. Confirm the current schedule with the university before paying.
The list
| # | School | Area | Type | Fees | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Delta University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Oghara, Delta | Private university | ₦70,000 to ₦200,000 per yearschool schedule Source: WDU fee schedule (2025) Tuition only; hostel and levies are separate on the schedule. | Publishes its fee schedule on its own site: undergraduate tuition from ₦70,000 (Arts) to ₦200,000 (Medicine) for 2025/26, the lowest published tuition of any private university we found. |
| 2 | Tansian University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Umunya, Anambra | Private university | ₦160,000 to ₦600,000 per yearestimate Source: Preps.ng (2025) Quoted as total fees, not tuition alone. | Total fees for fresh undergraduates between ₦160,000 and ₦600,000 per Preps.ng, which makes it one of the cheapest in the south-east on paper; confirm what the total includes. |
| 3 | Coal City University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Enugu, Enugu | Private university | ₦198,350 to ₦784,250 per yearestimate Source: Legit.ng fee guide (2025) | An Enugu private university whose published fees per Legit run from about ₦198,000 to ₦784,000 a session by programme. |
| 4 | Mountain Top University (open and distance learning) NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Ibafo, Ogun | Private university | ₦200,000 per yearschool schedule Source: MTU ODL tuition page (2026) Open and distance learning programmes only; ₦50,000 acceptance fee. | The university's ODL programmes publish tuition of ₦200,000 a session on the ODL site; the campus degrees cost more. Listed because the ODL route is a real degree at that price. |
| 5 | Ritman University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom | Private university | ₦250,000 per yearestimate Source: Edumedia fee breakdown (2025) | A tuition of ₦250,000 a session for 2025/26 per Edumedia, with incidental charges on top. |
| 6 | Arthur Jarvis University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Akpabuyo, Cross River | Private university | ₦270,000 to ₦1,300,000 per yearestimate Source: ListOfUni (2025) | Undergraduate tuition from ₦270,000 to ₦1.3m by programme for Nigerian students, per ListOfUni. |
| 7 | Al-Hikmah University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ilorin, Kwara | Private university | ₦305,000 to ₦4,500,000 per yearestimate Source: MySchoolGist (2026) The low end is the humanities; medicine is the high end. | Fresh-student tuition from ₦305,000 a session, rising to ₦4.5m for medicine, per MySchoolGist's 2026/27 schedule. |
| 8 | Elizade University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Ilara-Mokin, Ondo | Private university | ₦305,000 per yearschool schedule Source: Elizade admissions page (2025) Returning-student tuition, humanities; fresh students and the sciences pay more. | Publishes its schedule on its own site; returning students in the humanities pay ₦305,000 tuition a session. |
| 9 | Samuel Adegboyega University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ogwa, Edo | Private university | ₦310,000 per yearestimate Source: MySchoolGist (2025) | Humanities tuition of ₦310,000 a session per MySchoolGist, with library, ICT and other charges on top. |
| 10 | Evangel University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Akaeze, Ebonyi | Private university | ₦322,000 to ₦400,000 per yearestimate Source: AdmitNode (2025) | Tuition estimated at ₦322,000 to ₦400,000 a session per AdmitNode. |
| 11 | Gregory University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Uturu, Abia | Private university | ₦350,000 to ₦790,000 per yearestimate Source: CampusNinja (2026) | Returning students from ₦350,000 a session, medicine and nursing up to ₦790,000, per CampusNinja. |
| 12 | Paul University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Awka, Anambra | Private university | ₦382,000 to ₦897,000 per yearestimate Source: AdmitNode (2025) | Tuition estimated at ₦382,000 to ₦897,000 a session per AdmitNode; an Anglican university. |
| 13 | Rhema University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Aba, Abia | Private university | ₦400,000 to ₦2,500,000 per yearestimate Source: AdmitNode (2025) | Tuition from about ₦400,000 a session per AdmitNode, higher for the health sciences. |
| 14 | Bells University of Technology NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Ota, Ogun | Private university | ₦500,000 per yearschool schedule 2023/24 schedule; expect an increase. | Publishes its schedule: ₦500,000 tuition a session on the 2023/24 document, the most recent we found on the university's site. |
| 15 | Oduduwa University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ipetumodu, Osun | Private university | ₦500,000 to ₦650,000 per yearestimate Source: Oduduwa campus news (2026) | Estimated ₦500,000 to ₦650,000 a session per a campus news site. |
| 16 | Veritas University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Bwari, FCT | Private university | ₦600,000 to ₦1,729,000 per yearestimate Source: Visa Travels fee guide (2025) | The Catholic university in Abuja; theology at ₦600,000 a session with other programmes up to about ₦1.7m, per a fee guide. |
| 17 | Southwestern University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Okun-Owa, Ogun | Private university | ₦632,500 per yearestimate Source: InfoExpand (2026) | About ₦632,500 a session for 2026/27 per InfoExpand. |
| 18 | Peaceland University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Enugu, Enugu | Private university | ₦637,000 per yearschool schedule Nursing science, 100 level; other programmes on the same page. | Publishes its schedule on its own site; nursing at ₦637,000 tuition, payable in instalments. |
| 19 | Crescent University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Abeokuta, Ogun | Private university | ₦703,000 per yearschool schedule Fresh-student tuition; the page is dated 2023, expect an increase. | Publishes its schedule: ₦703,000 tuition for fresh students, ₦650,000 at 200 level and ₦620,000 above. |
| 20 | Kings University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Odeomu, Osun | Private university | ₦797,000 to ₦947,000 per yearestimate Source: Legit.ng (2025) | Full packages from ₦797,000 to ₦947,000 a session per Legit. |
| 21 | Chrisland University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Abeokuta, Ogun | Private university | ₦1,235,000 per yearschool schedule Tuition and accommodation for nursing, physiotherapy and similar; other programmes are lower on the same schedule. | Publishes its schedule: ₦1,235,000 tuition and accommodation for the health programmes; other faculties lower. |
| 22 | Renaissance University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Enugu, Enugu | Private university | ₦1,500,000 to ₦1,800,000 per yearestimate Source: AdmitNode (2025) | Estimated ₦1.5m to ₦1.8m a session per AdmitNode. |
| 23 | Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Kano, Kano | Private university | ₦1,502,000 per yearschool schedule Source: MAAUN tuition fees (2024) | Publishes its schedule: ₦1,502,000 tuition for computing in 2024/25. |
| 24 | Achievers University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Owo, Ondo | Private university | Not published, ask the school The university publishes its fees on its site; read the schedule there. | Publishes an undergraduate fee page on its site with hostel and levy lines; tuition by programme is on the same page. |
| 25 | Caleb University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website | Imota, Lagos | Private university | Not published, ask the school Use the fee calculator on the university's site. | Publishes a fee calculator on its site. |
| 26 | Ajayi Crowther University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Oyo, Oyo | Private university | Not published, ask the school Legit puts law at ₦2,001,000 a session; the lower faculties were not clear enough to print. | Law is the dearest programme at about ₦2m a session per Legit; the arts faculties are lower. |
| 27 | Wesley University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ondo, Ondo | Private university | Not published, ask the school AdmitNode's ₦150,000 to ₦2.5m estimate is too wide to print. | A Methodist university at Ondo; the only figures online are a wide estimate. |
| 28 | Fountain University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Osogbo, Osun | Private university | Not published, ask the school No schedule published by the institution or a source we would cite. | The NASFAT university at Osogbo. |
| 29 | Hallmark University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Ijebu-Itele, Ogun | Private university | Not published, ask the school No schedule published by the institution or a source we would cite. | A small Ogun private university. |
| 30 | Madonna University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Okija, Anambra | Private university | Not published, ask the school No schedule published by the institution or a source we would cite. | One of the oldest private universities, Catholic-founded. |
| 31 | Godfrey Okoye University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Enugu, Enugu | Private university | Not published, ask the school No schedule published by the institution or a source we would cite. | The Catholic Diocese of Enugu's university. |
| 32 | Salem University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Lokoja, Kogi | Private university | Not published, ask the school CampusNinja lists the hostel fee only. | Hostel at ₦150,000 a year per CampusNinja; tuition was not clear enough to print. |
| 33 | Bingham University NUC-accredited degrees · Co-educational · Day and boarding | Karu, Nasarawa | Private university | Not published, ask the school UniReady lists medicine only. | The ECWA university near Abuja; medicine ₦1.2m to ₦2m per UniReady, other programmes not clear. |
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.
Why the cheap private universities are cheap
Most are young, small, outside the big cities, and built by churches, mosques, state figures or families rather than by endowment. Low tuition buys a place without the JAMB scramble at federal universities and a four-year course that usually runs on time; it does not buy the facilities or the graduate network of Covenant, Babcock or Afe Babalola. Check NUC accreditation of the specific programme, not just the university, before paying.
Read the schedule, not the headline
A ₦300,000 tuition can become ₦600,000 with acceptance fee, hostel, ICT, library, laboratory, departmental and development charges. Every university on this list with a published schedule lists those lines; ask the ones that do not for last session's full invoice for a 100-level student in the programme you want.
Questions parents ask about this list
Which private university in Nigeria is the cheapest?
On published tuition, Western Delta University at Oghara, from ₦70,000 a session for arts programmes on its 2025/26 schedule. Mountain Top's open and distance learning programmes are ₦200,000; Coal City and Ritman follow on third-party figures.
Do these figures include accommodation?
Not unless the note says so. Hostel is a separate line at almost every university, typically ₦100,000 to ₦300,000 a session.
Are cheap private universities accredited?
All the universities listed hold NUC licences, but accreditation is per programme and lapses. Check the NUC's current list for the exact programme.
Why are Covenant, Babcock and Afe Babalola not on the list?
Because this is the affordable end; their tuition starts around ₦1.7m and runs to several million for medicine. The best universities in Nigeria page covers them.
How current are the figures?
Each figure carries the year of its source; several university schedules online are two years old. Expect the current invoice to be higher.