Top 10 Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria (2026): Fees By Course

The price of the course you want matters more than a university’s lowest advertised fee. A school with an inexpensive education programme can still charge considerably more for nursing or medicine, and a tuition figure may exclude the costs of living on campus.

This selection of ten candidates for the cheapest private universities in Nigeria is organised around published fee evidence and different ways of studying. Current schedules, older references and figures that need an individual quotation are identified separately. The list is a starting comparison for a course-level budget, rather than a claim that all ten prices form one comparable national ranking.

Ten Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria for A Course Level Budget

These candidates for the cheapest private universities in Nigeria use different study models. The figures below concern selected programmes and payment periods. The order supports comparison rather than treating tuition, historical totals and residential packages as equal prices.

1. Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin

Al-Hikmah’s 2026/2027 new-student schedule makes the price differences between courses unusually visible. Agricultural Science is listed at ₦305,000, while selected education programmes fall in a ₦370,000 band. Nursing, medicine and law sit at substantially higher amounts.

The institution is therefore particularly relevant when the applicant’s interests match a lower-priced programme. It is a campus university in Ilorin, so the decision still involves accommodation and daily living. Choosing the inexpensive course only as a hoped-for route into another department would be a poor basis for the budget.

2. Obong University, Akwa Ibom State

Obong is in Obong Ntak and publishes 2026/2027 annual tuition separately from other charges. Its lower-cost group includes English and Literary Studies, Mass Communication, and Christian and Religious Studies, with ₦290,000 tuition plus ₦160,000 other charges.

The separation makes the ₦450,000 academic total easier to interpret than a tuition-only advertisement. It may be especially relevant to students with support in Akwa Ibom or nearby states. Accommodation, meals and travel remain part of the household calculation rather than evidence that every student can complete the year for that academic amount.

3. Miva Open University

Miva is a private open university using online study arrangements. Its application page displays undergraduate starting plans of ₦195,000 per semester or ₦340,000 per session, subject to the current programme and cohort terms.

Its financial attraction can include avoiding relocation as well as the stated tuition plan. A learner who remains in employment and lives at home may evaluate it differently from a residential campus. The degree still demands a suitable device, connectivity and regular study time; those costs should be included from the first semester.

4. Peter University, Anambra State

Peter University is in the Achina-Onneh area and publishes estimated fees by programme group and student status. Its arts, social and management band shows ₦548,000 for new students and ₦403,000 for returning students, while other fields have different amounts.

The separate entry and continuing figures help a family plan beyond the first payment. The institution is worth investigating for a student seeking a campus option in Anambra, particularly where local support can reduce living costs. The detailed bill should identify what the published estimate includes for the exact degree.

5. Oduduwa University, Osun State

Oduduwa is a private university in Ipetumodu. Its published 2024/2025 admission notice gives ₦195,000 per semester and identifies a separate practical-course charge. Those figures are historical references and do not establish the price of a 2026/2027 place.

It remains a candidate for a budget enquiry because the official record provides a clear earlier cost structure. The useful next comparison is the current programme invoice, including residence and additional academic charges. Selecting an older online price simply because it is lower would hide the real commitment.

6. Caritas University, Enugu State

Caritas is in Amorji-Nike, Enugu State. An older official programme-fee PDF records session totals including ₦220,000 for selected programmes and higher figures for other subject groups, but it does not verify a current intake’s bill.

The institution therefore belongs in the historical-evidence part of this comparison. A family interested in studying in Enugu can use the old schedule to understand the categories, then obtain the current authorised amount. It should not be described as today’s cheapest campus solely because that older PDF remains accessible.

7. KolaDaisi University, Ibadan

KolaDaisi’s 2025/2026 new-student schedule publishes both tuition and a subtotal of academic charges. For Banking and Finance, English and Literary Studies, and History and Diplomatic Studies, it lists ₦493,500 tuition and ₦765,500 before acceptance and accommodation.

This is a useful example of why a budget should follow the full row of charges rather than the tuition line. The university is a campus option in the Ibadan area, and its published hostel categories vary by room occupancy. A student choosing the lower-priced subject band still needs to plan those separate residential costs.

8. Kings University, Odeomu

Kings University is in Odeomu, Osun State. Its 2025/2026 schedule lists fresh-student totals of ₦1,025,000 for humanities, ₦1,050,000 for management and social sciences, and ₦1,175,000 for sciences, including the listed accommodation charge.

Those totals are higher than several tuition headlines elsewhere in this list, but the package contains more than tuition alone. Kings is therefore a comparison candidate for families wanting a residential private university with a visible breakdown. Allied-health prices must be assessed separately, since the lower humanities total cannot be used as a nursing budget.

9. Iconic Open University

Iconic is a private open university whose Computer and Information Technology page displays a ₦135,000 semester fee for Nigerians living in Nigeria. The page excludes practical, practicum, SIWES, project and hardcopy-material charges from that amount.

For a suitable computing applicant, the combination of a specified fee and online learning may reduce the cost of relocation. It remains a programme-specific example rather than the price of every Iconic degree. Devices, connectivity and any required physical activities belong in the comparison with a residential campus.

10. Anchor University, Lagos

Anchor University publishes course-level 2026/2027 fees and distinguishes a school-fee total from the tuition component included within it. Its French programme, for example, lists ₦781,000 for 100-level UTME entry, including ₦280,500 tuition.

The distinction prevents a family from adding tuition twice or mistaking tuition alone for the whole academic bill. Acceptance, application and accommodation are separate. This makes Anchor a useful Lagos campus comparison where the selected course fits the lower-priced group, rather than evidence that every programme is equally inexpensive.

Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria and Their Fees

The table separates the session and price basis. Current and historical figures should not be sorted together as a precise national league table.

Al-Hikmah’s Agricultural Science amount is a current campus-based example. Iconic’s quote is per semester and excludes several items, while other rows include different services or use older schedules. These amounts do not establish a current national cheapest university. Compare complete bills for the same course and period before deciding.

Nursing and Medicine at the Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria

Searches for the cheapest private universities in Nigeria that offer nursing require a nursing-specific bill. Al-Hikmah’s 2026/2027 schedule lists ₦1,850,000 for Nursing Science, while Peter’s page displays ₦998,000 for new Nursing Science students. The packages and inclusions still need confirmation before ranking them.

For the cheapest private universities in Nigeria that offer medicine and surgery, do not use a fee from English, Agriculture or another health course. Al-Hikmah lists ₦4,500,000 for MBBS in its new-student schedule. That is a specific programme figure, not a price for every medical route in the country.

Verify programme and professional approval as well as price. A related health-science degree is not interchangeable with nursing or medicine. The course’s clinical training and professional outcome should be clear before affordability becomes the deciding factor.

Entry Requirements at the Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria

Check the relevant O’Level subjects and the institution’s approved UTME or Direct Entry route. Minimum eligibility can differ between programmes. A lower-cost course is not a suitable alternative if your subjects do not meet its requirements or you have no interest in studying it.

Searches for cheap private universities in Nigeria without JAMB can mix open-learning routes, foundation programmes and ordinary undergraduate admission. Ask what the actual route requires and how the admission is recorded. A preparatory programme is not automatically direct entry into every degree.

For an online option, confirm the institution’s current admission requirements and delivery mode. The fact that an application can be completed online does not establish that the degree is taught online or that all ordinary admission conditions disappear.

Calculate the Full Cost Before Choosing

Add tuition, compulsory charges, accommodation, food, transport, books and course materials. Ask which items repeat each year and which are paid only on entry. For a residential institution, inspect the hostel options rather than assuming the cheapest available room will be allocated to you.

Al-Hikmah’s schedule includes hostel choices and a ₦25,000 maintenance charge. Obong separates other charges from tuition. These examples show why comparing cheap private universities in Nigeria requires a complete bill rather than the first number in an advertisement.

If your shortlist includes public institutions, compare the cheapest universities in Nigeria guide using the same annual categories. A different location or study mode may change living costs more than a small difference in tuition.

Payment Plans at the Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria

Begin with three courses you can enter and genuinely want to study. Request written quotations and ask about instalments, deadlines and refund terms. An instalment arrangement helps the timing of payments without necessarily reducing the total.

If Anambra is your preferred location, the guide to private universities in Anambra State provides a more focused comparison. Confirm the actual campus and course before budgeting for accommodation.

FAQs

Which Are the Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria?

A reliable answer needs current comparable fees for the same course. This guide offers ten options to investigate, with dates and fee bases shown. It does not claim a definitive national ranking from incomplete evidence.

Do the Cheapest Private Universities in Nigeria Publish Full Annual Costs?

Usually you need to check additional items. Accommodation, compulsory charges and practical expenses can change the total. Ask the institution to identify everything required for the first year.

Can I Use A Returning Student’s Fee for A New Application?

No such assumption should be made. New students can have acceptance, verification or other entry charges. Use the amount and breakdown for your own level, programme and intake.

Are Older Official Fee Pages Still Useful?

They can explain the structure and provide historical reference figures. They do not establish the current amount payable. Confirm the latest approved schedule before using an older price in your budget.

Is Nursing as Cheap as an Arts Programme?

Do not assume so. The published examples show substantial programme differences. Compare nursing-specific totals and clinical costs, and verify the professional pathway before making a decision.

Can Online Study Reduce Living Costs?

It may reduce relocation and accommodation spending, depending on your circumstances. Include devices, connectivity and required attendance. Compare the approved programme and teaching support as well as the price.

Can I Add the Tuition Component to A Published School-Fee Total?

Only if the schedule says tuition is excluded. Anchor’s listed school-fee total already contains its tuition component, while Obong separately lists tuition and other charges. Reading the headings prevents both double-counting and leaving compulsory items out of the budget.