Exploitative Non-Refundable Acceptance Fees Push Students to the Brink

As Nigerian universities release admission lists for the 2025/2026 session, many fresh students are facing a tough challenge: non-refundable acceptance fees that, in some cases, are even higher than the national minimum wage.

Across both federal and state universities, new students are being told to pay between ₦20,000 and ₦100,000 within 2–3 days or risk losing their admission. For families already struggling with inflation and the high cost of living, this fee is becoming the final barrier to higher education.

Investigations show that the charges differ from school to school. At UNIBEN, acceptance fees range from ₦60,000 to ₦80,000. FUTA charges ₦40,000–₦45,000, while LASU and UNN fix theirs at ₦30,000. At UNILAG, the tuition fee is ₦20,000. The highest is at UNIMED Ondo, where fresh medical students must pay ₦100,000. Courses like Medicine, Law, and Engineering usually attract the most expensive rates.

With over 600,000 candidates admitted every year through JAMB, and an average acceptance fee of ₦30,000, Nigerian universities are generating more than ₦18 billion upfront, before school fees or registration costs are even factored in.

School authorities argue that the money is needed because of poor government funding. They say government allocations are not enough, and most infrastructure support comes from TETFund. So, the schools’ view of the acceptance fee is one way to raise money internally.

However, critics argue that the system is unfair and exploitative. Public universities are funded by taxpayers, yet students are being asked to pay more without any clear explanation of how the money is spent. To make matters worse, the fee is non-refundable — once paid, there is no going back.

In other countries of the world, students ‘tuition deposits are usually counted as part of the overall fees, and students get some form of financial aid. However, in Nigeria, students are left without any support. Those who cannot meet the deadline, no matter how brilliant, simply lose their admission.

The effect is heartbreaking. Many students from poor homes are forced to borrow, sell family property, or beg just to meet the deadline. Others give up completely, and their university dream ends before it even starts.

If the government truly believes education should be the ladder out of poverty, then these acceptance fees need to be scrapped. What students need is better funding for universities, more transparency, and real support, so that higher education can remain within reach for ordinary Nigerians.