Nigeria’s tertiary institutions left more than 706,000 approved admission spaces unfilled in 2025, highlighting what education stakeholders describe as a major planning and admission challenge in the country’s higher education system.
A recent policy brief by the Executive Director of the iRead To Live Initiative, Jacob Sule, titled “The Admissions Gap: Who Gets into Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions, and Why It Matters,” revealed that only 1,009,736 of 1,716,154 approved admission spaces were filled during the 2025 admission cycle.
The figures represent an overall admission utilisation rate of 58.8 per cent, leaving 706,418 approved spaces vacant.
According to the analysis, universities recorded a higher utilisation rate, filling 785,180 of 1,060,919 approved spaces, representing about 74 per cent. This left 275,739 university admission slots unused.
Other tertiary institutions, including polytechnics and colleges of education, recorded a much lower utilisation rate of about 34 per cent, according to the report.
The development comes despite the large number of Nigerian youths seeking admission into tertiary institutions annually.
The report attributed the disparity partly to the preference for university degrees over qualifications from polytechnics and colleges of education, arguing that the country’s education system undervalues middle-level manpower despite its importance to productivity and economic development.
Funding, infrastructure, staffing worsen admission gap
The policy brief identified inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and shortages of teaching staff as some of the factors contributing to the problem.
Many institutions lack sufficient accommodation and other facilities to expand their capacity, while poor remuneration and brain drain have contributed to the departure of experienced academic staff.
The situation is particularly concerning because thousands of prospective students remain unable to secure admission even as hundreds of thousands of approved spaces go unused.
The analysis also pointed to security concerns as another factor influencing candidates’ choice of institutions, particularly institutions located in areas affected by insecurity.
JAMB, NUC urged to improve admission planning
The development has also renewed calls for stronger coordination among the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Universities Commission, professional bodies and tertiary institutions.
The Punch Editorial Board argued that admission planning should be based on reliable data covering candidates’ locations, gender, subjects, courses and institutional capacity.
It called for improved data-sharing among education agencies to enable authorities determine the actual capacity and needs of institutions before allocating admission spaces.
The editorial also urged the NUC to strengthen its monitoring of courses offered by universities, particularly as the rapid expansion of universities has resulted in some institutions offering programmes primarily to attract students and fill available spaces.
Stakeholders urged to invest in tertiary institutions
The report called for greater investment in infrastructure, including hostels, laboratories and other facilities, with private-sector organisations, alumni associations and other stakeholders encouraged to support tertiary institutions.
It also suggested that universities establish endowment funds to strengthen their financial base and reduce their dependence on limited government funding.
Beyond infrastructure, the analysis stressed the need to align admissions with Nigeria’s developmental priorities, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
It noted that the country needs a tertiary education system capable of producing the skills required for innovation, productivity and global competitiveness.
The unfilled admission spaces, therefore, represent more than unused institutional capacity, as they also reflect a mismatch between Nigeria’s education planning, available infrastructure, student preferences and the country’s human capital needs.
Education agencies and tertiary institutions have consequently been urged to collaborate more effectively to ensure that available admission spaces are optimally utilised while maintaining merit and addressing the factors preventing qualified candidates from accessing higher education.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.