The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that Lagos State University (LASU), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) are among the top universities most preferred by candidates as their first choice for the 2025 admissions in Nigeria.

Specifically, it said the universities were the 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).

This was revealed in the 2025 policy document made available to The Guardian and signed by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.

It was observed that of the top 10 most sought-after universities, only Lagos State University is owned by a state government, while the nine others are owned by the Federal Government.

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%)