Private Universities Offering Nursing in Nigeria: Admission Requirements Compared

Private universities have become a major route into Nursing Science in Nigeria, often with shorter admission queues than the big federal schools but noticeably higher fees. If you’re weighing options like Babcock, Bowen, Caleb, Oduduwa, or Vision University, here is how their nursing programmes actually compare and what to watch for before you apply.

Babcock University

Babcock runs Nursing under its wider health sciences offerings, alongside Medicine and Physiotherapy. Admission is strictly through UTME, and the university has stated that candidates for Law, Medicine, and Nursing can only gain entry through JAMB admission, not direct entry alone. The general O’level minimum across Babcock’s programmes is five credits at SSCE, NECO, or GCE level, in no more than two sittings, though Nursing-specific subject requirements and the exact cut-off mark are best confirmed directly with Babcock’s admissions office, since these are not always published in general materials. Post-UTME screening applies, and only candidates who selected Babcock as their first JAMB choice are automatically eligible, though others can still apply by making Babcock their first choice at an accredited JAMB CBT centre.

Bowen University

Bowen places Nursing under its College of Health Sciences, alongside Medicine, Physiotherapy, and Anatomy. You must make Bowen your first JAMB choice, and the university has stated that cut-off marks across its courses generally range from 160 to 200 depending on the specific programme. The standard O’level requirement is five credits including English and Mathematics, from WAEC, NECO, SSCE, or NABTEB, in no more than two sittings, plus an online or physical post-UTME screening. Bowen also accepts direct entry for candidates with A-level, JUPEB, or ND/HND qualifications into 200-level. On fees, a third-party guide to the 2025/2026 session estimated Bowen’s first-year cost for Nursing Science and Law at roughly ₦2,389,000 to ₦2,500,000, including tuition, accommodation, and other charges, though this figure does not appear on Bowen’s official fee pages. Bowen’s own published payment plan allows instalments: 40% at the start of the session, 10% before the first-semester examination, 30% at the start of the second semester, and 20% before the second-semester examination.

Caleb University

Caleb University’s Nursing programme has drawn a lot of search interest specifically around its fees. Caleb does not publish a nursing-specific figure online, but recent guides put its fresh-student fees between roughly ₦969,000 and ₦2.4 million per session depending on the course, with Law at the top of that range, before adding the acceptance fee, medical test fee, and any hostel charges not already included. The same guides report that fees can be paid in up to three instalments. Treat these as planning figures and confirm the exact current nursing breakdown with Caleb’s bursary before committing.

Oduduwa University and Vision University

Both of these private universities list Nursing-related programmes among their health science offerings, but detailed, up-to-date admission requirements and fee breakdowns are less consistently published online compared to the larger private universities above. If either is on your shortlist, go directly to the university’s own admissions office or official website for the current JAMB cut-off, O’level subject requirements, and fee schedule rather than relying on older third-party listings, since smaller private universities tend to update these details less visibly online.

What about the National Open University (NOUN)?

NOUN runs a Bachelor of Nursing Science programme under its Faculty of Health Sciences, aimed specifically at expanding access for practising nurses who may not be able to leave their jobs for full-time study elsewhere. This is a meaningfully different model from the other universities above: NOUN has been engaging with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria on how its BNSc admission requirements are structured, which suggests this programme has had its intake criteria adjusted over time. If you are considering NOUN specifically for Nursing, confirm the current admission requirements, NMCN accreditation status, and whether the programme is open to fresh applicants or restricted to already-practising nurses, directly with NOUN’s Faculty of Health Sciences before applying.

How to compare your options

Before settling on a private university for Nursing, work through this short checklist, and each point below is worth checking carefully against your own documents and plans before you move any further:

• Confirm whether the programme is a Basic Nursing certificate track, a BNSc degree for fresh applicants, or a BNSc designed for already-practising nurses, since these are not interchangeable.
• Get the exact current JAMB cut-off and O’level subject requirements in writing from the admissions office, not an older blog post.
• Request a full first-year cost breakdown, including tuition, acceptance fee, accommodation, and any science or lab levies specific to Nursing.
• Verify the programme’s NMCN accreditation status before paying any fees, since this affects your eventual licensing.
• Compare at least two private options against a federal or state alternative, since the fee gap can be substantial.

Common mistakes to avoid

Applicants comparing private universities for Nursing tend to repeat the same avoidable errors, so read through each item below slowly and tick off the ones that already apply to your own situation:

• Assuming all private universities publish a specific Nursing cut-off mark, when several only publish a general range across all courses.
• Budgeting from an old fee figure instead of requesting the current session’s breakdown.
• Not confirming whether NOUN’s nursing programme fits a fresh applicant’s situation, given its stated focus on already-practising nurses.
• Skipping direct confirmation with smaller universities like Oduduwa and Vision University, where published information online is thinner.
• Forgetting that direct entry routes (A-level, JUPEB, ND/HND) exist at some private universities, which can shortcut a JAMB-only applicant’s timeline.

Final thoughts

Private universities offer a real alternative route into Nursing, but the fee gap between them and public institutions is substantial enough that it deserves careful budgeting, not just admission planning. Confirm requirements and costs directly with each university’s admissions office, and don’t assume older published figures still hold for the current session.