The University of Ibadan (UI) has announced the introduction of new faculties and innovative academic programmes as part of its ongoing efforts to expand learning opportunities and strengthen its standing as Nigeria’s premier university.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, made the announcement during the institution’s 77th Foundation Day Ceremony held on Monday, November 17, 2025.

Adebowale reaffirmed the university’s commitment to equipping graduates with cutting-edge skills needed to address emerging national and global challenges.

“Our goal is to increase the number of PhD outputs every academic session while ensuring our undergraduate programmes remain modern, relevant, and globally competitive,” he said.

According to him, the University Senate has approved the establishment of two new faculties — the Faculty of Nursing and the Faculty of Computing — as well as a new Department of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering in the Faculty of Technology.

He added that several academic programmes have been forwarded to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for accreditation ahead of the 2025/26 academic session, including B.Sc Social Work, B.Ed Educational Technology, B.Sc Ed Computer Science, and B.Eng Biomedical Engineering.

Under the newly created Faculty of Computing, the university has submitted B.Sc Software Engineering, B.Sc Data Science, B.Sc Cyber Security, and B.Sc Information and Communication Technology for resource verification, in addition to the existing B.Sc Computer Science programme.

“These new programmes reflect our commitment to innovation, research excellence, and high-quality education, while positioning our graduates as future leaders in their fields,” Adebowale said.

Giving an update on the convocation ceremonies, the VC disclosed that 5,900 students graduated at the undergraduate level, including 448 with First Class honours.

In the postgraduate category, 2,690 students received academic Master’s degrees, 273 earned Professional Master’s degrees, while 487 candidates were awarded PhDs. The Faculty of Education led the doctoral awards with 137 recipients.

Adebowale also noted the university’s performance in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, which placed UI as the top-ranked institution in Nigeria and within the 801–1000 band globally among 2,191 universities across 115 countries.

“This achievement is a testament to the foresight and dedication of successive administrations, as well as the hard work of our staff and faculty,” he said.