Cost of Master’s Degree in Nigerian Universities (2024)

In the country’s current economic turmoil and highly competitive job market, it is only safe to not settle for bachelor’s degrees. Getting a corporate job in Nigeria is getting increasingly difficult and given the number of graduates being pushed into the labour market every month, one should reasonably consider getting a master’s degree to effectively strengthen one’s chance of getting that decent job.

Like most of the undergraduate students, you probably are using your bachelor degree to kick-start your career. While bachelor degree may be able to get your career started, to move your career to next level, you will need a strong education background to pair with the working experience you have gained.

cost of masters degree in nigeria

While a lot of people prefer to go outside the country to pursue their Master’s degree, Nigeria universities provide a cheaper and relatively easier option for master’s programs. Most universities in Nigeria have postgraduate schools that offer various postgraduate programs including Post Graduate diploma, Master’s program and PHDs. There are lots of Master’s programs available in Nigeria. Most of the courses available in the undergraduate level are also available in Master’s degree. The universities min Nigeria offer various degrees including M.Sc., M.Phil. M.BA, etc.

Are you looking to undertake your Master’s degree program in Nigeria? You are in the right place, reading the right piece. In this post, we will take a look at tuition fees of various master’s programs in popular universities in Nigeria.

School Fees for Master’s Degree in Nigerian Universities

There are various ways in which master’s degree can help in building that influential career you’d always wanted. Apart from the fact that they open up more job opportunities for you and expose you to more fields your bachelor’s degree, the degree gives you upper hand when applying for jobs. The program is usually more flexible than bachelor’s degree and shorter, depending on the university. Usually, the degree spans between 1 and 3 years depending on the course and institution.

Master’s degree are in two different categories – academic and professional. Academic masters is the most common type of master’s degree in Nigeria. With academic masters, you can easily apply for doctorate degree after the program. This type of program is usually pursued by people looking to go into an academic line. Professional masters is designed for people in the industry that needs to learn more about their chosen field. Usually, a professional master’s degree holder cannot apply for doctorate degrees except he or she applies for an academic master’s degree first. Professional masters degrees are more expensive than academic master’s degree. They are usually shorter than an academic master’s degree and span between 1 – 2 years.

Master’s degree tuition are more expensive than bachelor degrees. Just like in bachelor’s degrees, federal universities offer the cheapest tuition fees when it comes to postgraduate studies. Some private universities also offer postgraduate programs and as expected, the tuition is relatively the most expensive.

Here, we will take a look at tuition fees of some popular universities’ postgraduate schools. We will consider tuition fees of some post graduate courses for some popular school and estimate tuition fees for some few others. Please note that the fees listed below are as they stand in 2023/2024.

Cost of Master’s Degree in the Most Affordable Nigerian Universities

Universities                                                                          Approximate range for tuition fees
Ahmadu Bello University₦14,000 – ₦45,000
University of Ibadan₦16,000 – ₦39,000
University of Lagos₦14,500 – ₦65,000
Bayero University, Kano₦26,000 – ₦60,000
University of Calabar₦30,000 – ₦42,000
University of Abuja₦40,000 – ₦42,500
Obafemi Awolowo University₦19,500 – ₦65,000
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta₦18,250 – ₦42,000
Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto₦24,000 – ₦54,000
National Open University of Nigeria₦18,000 – ₦36,000
University of Benin                                                                N₦12,000 – ₦50,000
Federal University of Technology, Akure.₦13,000 – ₦52,000

Master’s Degree Tuition fees at the Top-ranked Nigerian Universities

Below is a comprehensive list of the average school fees you will get to pay for a Master’s degree at the highest-ranking universities in Nigeria

  • Ahmadu Bello University: ₦29,500 per year
  • Obafemi Awolowo University: ₦42,250 per year
  • University of Ibadan: ₦27,500 per year
  • University of Ilorin: ₦28,500 per year
  • University of Lagos: ₦39,750 per year
  • UNN, University of Nigeria, Nsukka: ₦55,500 per year

Kindly note that there might other hidden charges asides from the ones stated above. These hidden charges will depend on the institution and the course of study.

Tuition Fees for Different Master Degree Courses at Nigeria Universities

In this section, we will show you the tuition fees from different Master’s degree courses in Nigerian universities. Note that these fees are per year.

Tuition fees for Masters in Business

Would you like to study a business-related course at Masters level? Then the information in this section should be helpful to your cause. Below are the tuition fees for some Masters courses in business-related disciplines:

  • Business Administration, Economics, Banking and Finance: ₦120,000
  • Insurance and Actuarial Science, Accounting, Marketing, and Business Management: ₦150,000

Tuition fees for Masters in Engineering

Are you seeking a Master’s degree in an engineering discipline? Different Nigerian universities offer such training. How much do these courses cost? The average tuition fees for an engineering-related master’s degree is about ₦270,000.

Tuition fees for Masters in Law

If you are a graduate of law, then it is very likely you would want to get a Master’s degree. Doing this boosts your chances of getting higher pay and enjoying better benefits. To get a Master’s degree in a law-related course in a Nigerian university, you will pay an average of ₦270,000 in tuition fees.

Tuition fees for Masters Medicine

Would you like to get a master’s degree in a medicine-related course? Contrary to popular belief, getting a masters in these courses is not so expensive. On average, you should pay around ₦300,000. Some of the courses you can study in this category include:

  • Human Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Dentistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Pharmacology
  • Medical Laboratory Science
  • Nursing, etc.

Tuition fees for Masters in Information Technology

Information Technology is the new oil and most people are making the switch to tech. One way to grow in this industry is to get a master’s degree in an IT-related course. Currently, the average tuition fees for an IT-related master’s degree from a Nigerian university is around ₦200,000.

Tuition fees for Masters in Humanities

Of all the course categories on our list, the courses under the humanities category present the most affordable tuition fees for master’s degrees in Nigerian universities. Currently, you can pay a little lower than ₦120,000 as tuition fees for any of the courses in this field. Some of the courses include:

  • Literature
  • Philosophy
  • Religion
  • Cultural Studies
  • Music
  • Theatre Arts
  • Fine Art and Design
  • History
  • Liberal Arts

Tuition fees for Masters in Education

If you would like to build a career in education, then it is advisable to get a master’s degree I this field. There are several education-related courses that you can enroll in at master’s degree level at any of the Nigerian universities. How much does it cost to get a master’s degree in an education-related course? Usually, the tuition fees for these courses in Nigerian universities cost an average of about ₦150,000 per year.

Tuition fees for Masters in Social Sciences

Social science is another area where many people are building careers in Nigeria today. If you would like to follow suit, then you should consider getting a social science-related master’s degree. On average, it costs around ₦250,000 per year to study a social science course at master’s degree in a Nigerian university. Some of the popular courses in this field include:

  • Sociology
  • Psychology
  • Political and Administrative Studies, etc.

Tuition fees for a Master’s Degree in Sciences

Would you like to get a master’s degree in a science-related discipline from any Nigerian university? The average tuition cost is around ₦280,000 per year. Some of the courses you can consider include:

  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Microbiology
  • Plant Science & Biotechnology
  • Animal and Environmental Biology
  • Geology
  • Biochemistry, etc.

PRICES LAST UPDATED: JUNE 3, 2023.

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