The National Universities Commission (NUC) has imposed a one-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities, effective February 10, 2025.
NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, stated that the move follows a directive from the Minister of Education to review guidelines for private university operations. The application fee for establishing private universities has increased from ₦1 million to ₦5 million, while the processing fee has risen to ₦25 million.
The NUC emphasized that only active applications would continue to be processed, while inactive or incomplete submissions may be forfeited.