University in Nigeria
Ile-Ife, Osun State
University profile
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), popularly called Great Ife, is a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State, in south-western Nigeria. It was founded in 1962 as the University of Ife, one of three universities established in 1961-62 following the Ashby Commission report on post-secondary and higher education, and was renamed in honour of Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo on 12 May 1987. The Federal Government took over the university in 1975 and it is now run by a Governing Council. Its motto describes it as the Citadel of Wisdom, a place of arts and science where men and women seek knowledge. Its stated vision is to be a top-rated university in Africa.
The university began with five faculties (Agriculture, Arts, Economics and Social Studies, now Social Sciences, Law and Science). Education (1967), Pharmacy (1969), Technology, Health Sciences, Administration (1979) and Environmental Design and Management (1982) were added later. Today the academic structure includes the College of Health Sciences (Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences and Dentistry), the Postgraduate College, and the Faculties of Administration, Agriculture, Arts, Computing Science and Engineering, Education, Environmental Design and Management, Law, Pharmacy, Sciences, Social Sciences and Technology. Student numbers have grown from 244 in 1962/63 to over 30,000.
Notable units on and around the campus include the A.G. Leventis Natural History Museum, the Institute of Public Health, the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, the Institute of Cultural Studies, the Centre for Gender Studies, the Drug Research and Production Unit, the Central Science Laboratory, the Computer Centre, the Distance Learning Centre, the HO Library and the OAUSpace institutional repository. Agencies sited on the campus include the Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD), the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), the Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys (RECTAS) and the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English. Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, are linked to the university.
Student welfare is coordinated by the Division of Students' Affairs, which comprises the Students' Affairs Office, the Guidance and Counselling Unit and the Halls of Residence, under a Dean who reports to the Vice-Chancellor. The campus has an OAU Health Centre. Undergraduate men are accommodated in Fajuyi, Awolowo, ETF and Angola halls and women in Moremi, Alumni, Akintola and Mozambique halls; Murtala Muhammed Hall is reserved for postgraduate students and male students with physical disabilities. Hall places are applied for through the Warden of the hall, with priority given first to freshmen and finalists, then student union leaders, recommended sportsmen and women, students with certified medical needs, foreign students and clinical students. Students who miss a place arrange their own lodging off campus.
Postgraduate studies are run by the Postgraduate College, which offers programmes in all faculties.
Outstanding postgraduate students may receive postgraduate fellowships and doctoral research grants. Academic staff undergoing postgraduate training receive an inducement allowance.
Returning and newly admitted students may apply for the federal NELFUND student loan through portal.nelf.gov.ng. Freshers can start the application only after receiving a matriculation number. The loan has an upkeep component paid directly to the student's account.
Browse the scholarships listed for Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife →Admission to Part I is through JAMB UTME with programme-specific UTME subject combinations and O-Level credits. Examples: Pharmacy needs English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at UTME and English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at O-Level. Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Medical Rehabilitation have the same subject requirements. Engineering programmes in the Faculty of Technology need English Language, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at UTME, with O-Level English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and one of Biology, Agricultural Science, Economics, Geography or Further Mathematics. Law needs English, Literature and two other subjects at UTME, and five O-Level credits including English and Literature.
Typical routes are three A-Level passes in relevant subjects or a relevant ND/HND with at least an upper credit. Engineering accepts an ND/HND with minimum upper credit in a relevant engineering discipline or three A-Level credit passes in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Pharmacy accepts a B.Sc. with at least a second class lower in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Industrial Chemistry or Food Science and Technology. Medicine and related health programmes accept a B.Sc. with at least second class upper in a relevant biological science, or three A-Level passes in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Law accepts a first degree with at least second class honours plus UTME requirements, or three A-Level credit passes in Arts or Social Sciences. Sciences accept three A-Level credits in relevant subjects or a first degree in a related science; Education programmes accept A-Level/GCE credits, NCE merit/credit or a Diploma in Education in the relevant teaching subjects. Arts programmes accept relevant diplomas such as Dramatic Arts, Music, Yoruba or Theology or A-Level papers.
A Bachelor's degree in Arts, Letters, Philosophy or Science (or acceptable equivalent) from an approved university. Masters candidates need at least second class lower division or a GPA of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale); MPhil needs second class upper; PhD needs an MPhil or a Master's with a research thesis and at least 60% (B+) weighted average in Masters coursework. Programmes: Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters by coursework with essay or report, Masters with coursework and thesis, MPhil and PhD. Part-time enrolment is available at professional Master and doctoral level for those with good reason.
Undergraduate candidates are admitted through JAMB CAPS and accept their offer on that portal. Postgraduate applications are made on online forms from the Postgraduate College website, advertised about June each year. Admission is once a year (Harmattan semester) for humanities-based disciplines and twice a year for the sciences.
The university has a single main campus at Ile-Ife, Osun State, housing the faculties, the College of Health Sciences, the Postgraduate College and the research units below.
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