Lagos State University (LASU), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) have been ranked as the lists of most preferred first-choice universities by candidates for the 2025 admissions in Nigeria.
According to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) report, these universities top of the list of most sought-after institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session from the over 2 million candidates that sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar, made this revelation on Tuesday in the 2025 policy document made available to the press.
The document revealed that of the top 10 most preferred universities, only Lagos State University is owned by a state government, while the nine others are Federal Government universities.
The top 10 most subscribed institutions include:1. Lagos State University (LASU) – 70,080 applicants (3.45%)
2. University of Lagos (UNILAG) – 58,645 applicants (2.89%)
3. University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) – 56,758 applicants (2.79%)
4. Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) – 52,108 applicants (2.56%)
5. Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) – 51,487 applicants (2.53%)
6. University of Ibadan (UI) – 47,571 applicants (2.34%)
7. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) – 46,273 applicants (2.28%)
8. University of Benin (UNIBEN) – 45,868 applicants (2.26%)
9. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) – 45,777 applicants (2.25%)
10. Federal University, Lafia – 42,962 applicants (2.11%)