See Statistics; UNILORIN Tops Most Preferred University

See statistics; The University of Ilorin, UNILORIN tops the nation’s most preferred university according to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board(JABMB), having attracted far more admission applicants than any other university in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

UNILORIN Again Tops The List Of Most Preferred Varsities

This is the third consecutive year that the Better-by-far institution will be attracting the highest number of admission seekers. Statistics obtained from the computer-based test conducted between February 27 and March 3 this year across 540 centres in Nigeria and eight overseas countries showed that Unilorin attracted 103, 238 admission seekers, maintaining the record it had set in the last two years. A total of 1,592,305 million candidates sat for the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board this year.

In its edition of Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the newspaper reported that “UNILORIN, as in the last two years, still occupies the first slot in terms of attracting the highest number of applicants. One hundred and three thousand, two hundred and thirty-eight(103228) candidates applied to study in the university this year”.

According to the report, the University of Benin, Benin City, with 81,363 applicants came second while Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with 75,383 candidates, came third.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, attracted 65,954 candidates to place fourth, while Bayero University, Kano, with 64,220 applicants, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with 61,862 candidates came fifth and sixth respectively.

The University of Lagos (Unilag), with 60,659 candidates, is placed seventh while the nation’s premier university, the University of Ibadan (UI), with 59,176 candidates, came eighth. In last year’s rankings, 68-year-old UI was placed seventh while UNILAG was fifth.

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, retained the ninth position it occupied in 2015. This year, it attracted 45,924 candidates.

The University of Jos, which was not among the top 10 most preferred universities in 2015, improved on its rankings, placing 10th this year with 40,366 candidates.

For the private universities, the Covenant University, Ota; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti; Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo; and Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, occupied the first four positions in terms of attracting candidates’ interest. They had 2, 586; 1,304, 1,248 and 418 candidates in that order.

Missing on the top 10 private universities among candidates this year, are the Bell University, Ota, owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and the American University of Nigeria, Yola, founded by former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar.

The Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State (370); Bowen University, Iwo (329); Al-Qalam University, Katsina (308) and the Baze University, FCT (277) came fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth in that order.

The Bingham University, Karu, with 247 candidates, and Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, with 204 candidates, occupied the ninth and 10th positions, out of the over 60 private universities in the country.