University of Ilorin

The University of Ilorin (Unilorin) is a federal university in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, about 500 kilometres from Abuja. Established in 1975, it is known for a stable academic calendar and a commitment to research, innovation and character development. Its vision is to be an international centre of excellence in learning, research, probity and service to humanity, and its mission is to provide a world-class environment for learning, research and community service. Its core values are given as integrity, networking, justice, excellence, compassion and teamwork.

Teaching is organised into 16 faculties: Agriculture, Arts, Basic Clinical Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Communication and Information Sciences, Education, Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Law, Life Sciences, Management Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Social Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, with 130 academic departments in total. Alongside them are the Postgraduate School, the Ilorin Business School, the Institute of Education, the Centre for Open and Distance Learning, JUPEB Unilorin and the Unilorin Preliminary Remedial programme. Undergraduate degree programmes run for 3, 4, 5 or 6 years depending on entry qualification and discipline. The academic year follows a two-semester system, the Harmattan and Rain semesters, introduced in 1979/80, and most faculties teach by the course-credit system, the exceptions being the Health Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.

The university grew from 200 foundation students in 1976 to more than 50,000 students by the 2024/2025 session, with about 3,632 staff as at 25 September 2024. About 60% of effort was directed to science-oriented programmes from the start. Teaching support units include the Computer Services and Information Technology unit (COMSIT), the Central Research Laboratory, the Centre for Research, Development and In-House Training (CREDIT), Community Based Experience and Services (COBES), the Medical Educational Resources Unit, the General Studies division, a Biological Garden and a Teaching and Research Farm. The University School, the University Secondary School and the Educational Technology Centre are also part of the university.

Main campus facilities include the Senate Building, the Main University Library, the Central Research Laboratory, computer-based test centres with 1,500 capacity, a 2,000-seat multipurpose auditorium, a Students Union Building, a researchers' lodge and a dam and water treatment plant that supplies the campus. Student hostels include public hostels and privately built ones developed on a build-operate-transfer basis; more than half of students cannot be accommodated on the main campus. Revenue-yielding units run by Unilorin Holdings Limited include the bookshop, press, guest houses, computer training centre, petrol station and water factory.

Applicants from outside Nigeria are exempt from the qualifying examination for postgraduate entry. Unilorin is a federal institution whose Visitor is the President of Nigeria and whose Chancellor is the Emir of Katsina.