Private universities in Nigeria have been ranked as some of the best universities in the country and many believe that these privately owned universities have come to stay.
While many young Nigerian secondary school leavers or UTME candidates flock around most federal and state universities in the country, others who are from well to do homes consider Nigerian private universities as their first choice not minding the expensive school fees paid there each academic session.
If you’re one of those students who are considering studying in any of the private universities in the country and you currently do not know the university to choose, then this is the right article for you to read as we will be sharing a comprehensive and verified list of the top 10 best private universities in Nigeria.
Although the tuition fees of these universities are on the high side, they provide a more convenient and effective learning and teaching environment for students than most federal and state universities in the country.
Universities in this article are ranked using various factors like academic standards, facilities, location, cost, and many other factors. Data used in the ranking were gotten from popular and trusted university ranking websites like 4ICU.org & Webometrics.
Best Private Universities In Nigeria 2020: Top 10 (NUC Ranking)
1) Covenant University
Covenant University is a privately owned university located in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is ranked as the best private university in the country and the 3rd best university in Nigeria as at the time of writing this article.
This university was established on the 21st of October, 2002 and it is owned by the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and it is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Universities, and National Universities Commission.
Over the years, this university has grown to become one of the best universities in the country. Covenant boast of having some of the best educational facilities for students and also a very large number of qualified staffs.
This university is built on firm Christian values, but at the same time has innovative technologies in the training program. Graduates of Covenant University are outstanding in their various fields, and they have good chances of being gainfully employed in the future.
2) Afe Babalola University
Afe Babalola University is another well known private university and the second best private university in Nigeria. It is currently located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria and it was founded by a lawyer and philanthropist – Afe Babalola, in 2009.
It is located on 130 hectares of land and the university currently has six colleges. The school was inaugurated by Nigeria’s former president – Goodluck Johnathan and it is one of the best universities when it comes to the quality of education and educational facilities in Nigeria.
The Engineering College of this university is built on about three and a half acres of land, and it is equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment, and it is known to be one of the largest engineering colleges in Africa.
Afe Babalolla Univerity is also one of the best private universities where you can study medicine in Nigeria. It is the only private university in Nigeria to set a milestone by getting accreditation for medicine within 4 years of its establishment.
The six colleges in Afe Babalola Univesity are listed below.
- The College of Sciences
- The College of Law
- The college of Engineering
- The College of Social and Management Sciences
- The College of Medicine and Health Sciences
- College of Postgraduate Studies
3) Landmark University
Landmark University is another well-known private university in the country and it occupies the third position on this list of the best private universities in Nigeria. It was established on March 21st, 2011 and it is affiliated with the Living Faith Church Worldwide.
Even with its age, this university has proven to be one of the top universities in Nigeria to reckon with when it comes to high-quality education. It is currently located in Omu-Aran Kwara State, Nigeria and it had a population of around 3000 students in 2014.
Landmark Univerity is popularly known for producing quality first-class graduates in Nigeria and in fact, more than 10% of every graduating set are first-class materials.
The university currently has 3 main colleges and 4 sub colleges (schools). These colleges include:
- College of Agricultural Sciences
- College of Business and Social Sciences (School of Business & School of Social Sciences)
- College of Science and Engineering (School of Natural and Applied Sciences & School of Engineering)
4) Babcock University
Babcock University is a very popular university in Nigeria and one of the best private universities in the country. It is a private Christian co-educational Nigerian university owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria.
It was established in 1959 and the university is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system which is the second-largest Christian school system in the world.
The university was established as the Adventist College of West Africa (ACWA) in 1959 with only seven students, and right now, Babcock University has 9 schools and one college which cater to an increasing student population of over 10,000+ undergraduates and others.
You can find a list of the schools and colleges at Babcock University below:
- School of Agriculture & Industrial Technology.
- Babcock Business School.
- College of Health & Medical Sciences.
- School of Basic & Applied Science (formerly Science & Technology).
- School of Computing &Engineering Sciences.
- School of Education and Humanities.
- School of Law & Security Studies.
- School of Nursing.
- School of Public & Applied Health.
- School of Post Graduate Studies.
5) Nile University of Nigeria
The Nile University of Nigeria is a privately owned university in Nigeria which is located in Abuja – Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. It was fully established in 2009 but the first Nigerian Turkish International Colleges started operations in the country in September 1998.
The main Nigerian Turkish Nile University kicked off with 76 students on a rented site at Cairo Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, and it has now proliferated into a network of schools in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, and Yobe States.
The university currently has 8 faculties and a college and you can view a list of them below.
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Management
- Faculty of Management
- College of Health Sciences (Pre Med, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences & Faculty of Clinical Science)
6) American University of Nigeria
The American University of Nigeria is the only private university in Northern Nigeria that made it to this list of the best private universities in Nigeria. It is owned by Nigeria’s former Vice President – Atiku Abubakar and it is located in Yola, the state capital of Adamawa State, Nigeria.
It is the only university in Nigeria (Both public and private) that offers the American style of education and in fact, only 2 of this type of university exists in Africa.
This university was established in 2004 and it is accredited by the National Universities Commission which is a government agency that regulates all universities in Nigeria.
The American University of Nigeria (AUN) consists of five schools and these schools are outlined below.
- School of Arts and Sciences
- School of Business and Entrepreneurship
- School of Law
- School of Graduate Studies
- School of Information Technology and Communications
7) Redeemer’s University
Redeemer’s University is a private university which is owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God and this university is located in Ede, Osun, off Gbongan-Oshogbo Road, Osun State, Nigeria.
This university was established in 2004 by the RCCG and it was granted an operating license in 2005 by the Federal government of Nigeria. Over the years, this university has grown to the level of being one of the most reputable institutions in the country.
Redeemers Unversity has produced 5 sets of graduates and it currently has three colleges and 26 academic programs. These colleges are listed below.
- The College of Natural Science
- The College of Management Science
- The College of Humanities
8) Al-Hikmah University
Al-Hikmah University is a privately owned Islamic university located in Ilorin, Kwara State, South-Western Nigeria. It was founded in 2005 by AbdulRaeem Oladimeji Islamic Foundation AROIF based in Nigeria and the World Assembly of Muslim Youths WAMY based in Jeddah.
Since its inception, the university has proven to be one of the notable Islamic universities we have in Nigeria. Al-Hikmah University has collaborated with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to counteract drug abuse and with Jaiz bank for online and offline payments.
The university currently has 5 colleges and these colleges are outlined below.
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Natural & Applied Sciences
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Management Sciences
- Faculty of Health Sciences
9) Pan-Atlantic University
Pan-Atlantic University is another notable private tertiary institution in Nigeria. It started as the Lagos Business School (LBS), established in 1991 and it was approved by the federal government as Pan-African University in 2002.
In May 2013 its name was changed to Pan-Atlantic University, to avoid confusion with the Pan-African University of the African Union.
The Lagos Business School was the first school in the university and right now, the Pan-Atlantic university has many other schools with a wide range of undergraduate courses and other academic programs.
10) Bowen University
Bowen University is a private Baptist Christian Nigerian university owned and operated by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. It was established in 2001 and the university is currently sited in Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria.
This university opened in 2002 shortly after its establishment with 500 students and as of 2017, over 5,000 students were studying in this institution.
All academic programs offered in this university are accredited by the National Universities Commission which is a government agency that regulates all universities in Nigeria.
Bowen University is the first Baptist University in Nigeria and Africa in general.
Notable Private Universities In Nigeria
Some other outstanding private universities which could not make it to our list of the top 10 best private universities in Nigeria are listed below.
- African University of Science and Technology
- Godfrey Okoye University
- Bells University of Technology
- Baze University
- Veritas University
- Benson Idahosa University
- Elizade University
- Mountain Top University
- Caleb University
- Adeleke University
- Ajayi Crowther University
- Lead City University
- Igbinedion University
- Madonna University
Source – 4ICU.org, Webometrics Africa
