UNILAG Denies Fresh Fee Hike, Says Charges Reflect Integration of Departmental Dues

LAGOS — The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has dismissed reports of a fresh hike in tuition fees, clarifying that recent changes observed on students’ payment portals were the result of integrating previously separate faculty and departmental charges into a single consolidated system.

The clarification followed concerns raised by students on Tuesday over what appeared to be an upward review of fees for the 2024/2025 academic session.

In a statement issued by Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, Head of the University’s Communication Unit, the institution explained that the adjustment was made in compliance with the directive from the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund), which requires all charges payable by students to be consolidated and processed through the central university portal.

“This ensures that once students make payments through their official portal, no other payment will be collected at the faculty or departmental levels,” Alaga-Ibraheem stated.

She emphasized that the integration was carried out in the interest of transparency and to facilitate access to the NELFund student loan, which covers all official school-related payments.

A review of the payment breakdown by TheCable showed that while there was no major hike in tuition, some adjustments were reflected due to the inclusion of previously off-portal dues. For instance, departmental and faculty dues previously pegged at ₦2,000 have now appeared as part of a consolidated ₦15,000 charge.

Similarly, the Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) rose from ₦5,000 to ₦7,500, while new categories such as Entrepreneurship (₦5,000), Portal Maintenance (₦15,000), and Student Insurance Policy (₦1,250) were included. Other items on the list include Student Support Services (₦1,250), Professional Services (₦7,500), and General Studies (GST) (₦5,000).

However, the university maintained that these were not new or increased charges but dues that students had previously paid separately at the faculty or departmental level.

“What we have done is in the best interest of students. When they apply for NELFund, the funding will now cover every bill they pay through a unified system. This also eliminates other unofficial payments,” Alaga-Ibraheem added.

She further explained that the total amounts reflected on students’ portals may vary across programmes depending on specific academic requirements, stressing that the move “does not amount to a fee hike but an integration of legitimate, pre-existing dues.”

With this clarification, UNILAG reiterated its commitment to maintaining affordability, transparency, and compliance with national education funding reforms.