Ahmadu Bello University raises fees, students may pay up to N290,000

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria has increased its undergraduate registration fees. This change has raised worries that other Nigerian universities might follow suit with their own fee hikes.

The new fees are in a schedule approved by the university and will start from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The updated fees show a big jump from the N62,000 to N84,000 students paid last year.

Now, students will need to pay between N143,000 and N298,000, depending on their course and year.

For example, first-year students studying Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) will pay N242,000, up from N82,000. Dentistry first-year fees have also jumped from N82,625 to N242,000. Law students now face a fee of N182,000 at the 100 level, compared to N82,625 last year.

Engineering students in fields like Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering will pay N172,000, up from N82,625. Nursing Science first-year fees have increased from N78,875 to N212,000. Students in Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Radiography will also pay N212,000, up from N78,875.

Veterinary Medicine fees have gone up from N82,625 to N232,000. Computer Science students will now pay N172,000 at the first level, compared to N82,625 before.

Additionally, first-year students in Accounting, Economics, and Public Administration will now pay N152,000, up from N75,125.

The latest fee increase at ABU has led to strong reactions from Nigerians. Many are upset, calling the hike outrageous.

NANS President, Akinteye Afeez, reacted on Facebook, saying the hike is a “joke taken too far.” He added, “The VC should just resign if he can’t run the school again successfully.”

Students have also voiced their anger on social media, especially in the comments section of the university’s page. One student, Bisallah Abuhaneefah, said, “Things are getting worse, this is the same ABU we recently paid N31,500 as tuition fee. The series of increments are not just surprising but outrageous. There’s no education for the common man anymore.”

The last major fee increase for Nigerian universities happened in 2022 after an eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

After the strike, many federal universities raised their fees, citing increased costs for running the schools and providing teaching materials. Despite protests from students, the fees were not fully rolled back.

In 2023, shortly after taking office, President Bola Tinubu signed a bill to create the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). ASUU opposed this plan, including the idea of having a representative on the Fund's board.

The academic union warned that this Fund could be a cover for more fee hikes in Nigerian universities.