Educational institutions and study programmes
Nigerian educational institutions and study programmes
Below, we explain what types of educational institutions and degree programs there are in Nigeria. We also explain how we check whether these are recognised or accredited. We check the and to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.
Recognition
The government of a country grants an official status to an educational institution and/or study programme. Usually, if the government recognises an educational institution, all its study programmes are also recognised. However recognition may also be arranged at the programme level. This means that the government must recognise not only the educational institution, but also its study programmes. We only evaluate diplomas from recognised institutions and recognised study programmes. Read more about recognition in the EAR manual.
Accreditation
An organisation checks and assesses the quality of education. Usually the accreditation is valid for a certain period. In some countries, accreditation is compulsory, in others it is voluntary. The government of a country often appoints one or more organisations responsible for accrediting institutions and/or study programmes. In addition, there are also private accreditation organisations. We only mention and (in the case of diploma evaluations) consult accreditation organisations appointed by the government of that country. Read more about accreditation in the EAR manual.
Secondary education | diplomas
In secondary education, you should especially pay attention to whether a student has a recognised diploma. These are the recognised diplomas of upper secondary education:
Secondary vocational education | educational institutions
Students can go to TVET institutions for secondary vocational education (and technical higher professional education). There are various types of TVET institutions. There are various types of TVET institutions, for example polytechnics and colleges of agriculture. TVET institutions need to be accredited by the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE).
Checking the accreditation of TVET institutions
On the NBTE website,you can find an overview of all accredited TVET institutions:
Secondary vocational education | study programmes
There are many types of study programmes in Nigerian secondary vocational education. The study programmes have different admission requirements, , content and . You will need information about this in order to determine the level of a diploma. We describe the diplomas we often see on our webpage about Nigerian secondary vocational education. Below, we explain how you can check if study programmes are accredited.
Duration
The official length of the full-time programme (not part-time) without study delay.
Transfer entitlement
The possibility to continue on to an advanced programme, in some cases with exemptions for several subjects or a certain period.
Checking the accreditation of study programmes in secondary vocational education
On the NBTE website, you can find overviews of approved study programmes.
Higher education | educational institutions
In Nigeria, institutions for higher education need to be accredited. There are different types of higher education institutions:
- universities;
- affiliate institutions;
- TVET institutions;
- Institutes for teacher training programmes (Colleges of Education, National Teachers Institute).
Universities
Universities offer both and . There are federal, state and private universities. Only universities are allowed to award degrees, such as bachelor’s and master’s degrees. They are allowed to award other diplomas as well, for example a Postgraduate diploma.
HBO
Higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). HBO is more oriented towards professions in specific areas than WO, and has traditionally been offered at universities of applied sciences (hogescholen).
WO
Research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). WO is oriented more towards theory and research than HBO, and has traditionally been offered at research universities (universiteiten).
Checking the accreditation of universities
On the website of the National Universities Commission (NUC), you can find an overview of accredited universities:
Affiliate institutions
Affiliate institutions are connected to a university. They offer education that is supervised by a university. Affiliate institutions offer both HBO and WO. The university issues the official degrees, not the affiliate institution. It is not allowed to do so.
Checking the accreditation of affiliate institutions
On the website of the NUC, you can find an overview of accredited affiliate institutions.
TVET institutions
TVET institutions offer both technical higher educational and secondary vocational education. There are various types of TVET institutions, for example polytechnics and colleges of agriculture. Students cannot obtain degrees (such as bachelor's and master's degrees) from TVET institutions, only other types of diplomas. TVET institutions need to be accredited by the NBTE.
Checking the accreditation of TVET institutions
For information about how to check the accreditation of a TVET institution, please see Secondary vocational education | educational institutions.
Institutions for teacher training programmes
In Nigeria, there are educational institutions that offer only teacher training programmes: the Colleges of Education and the National Teachers’ Institute. Some universities also offer teacher training programmes.
Checking the accreditation of institutions for teacher training programmes
On the website of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), you can find an overview of accredited Colleges of Education. The National Teachers’ Institute is accredited as well.
Higher education | study programmes
In Nigeria, study programmes in higher education need to be accredited. There are different types of accreditation of study programmes:
- accreditation of bachelor’s programmes
- accreditation of master's and PhD programmes;
- accreditation of study programmes from TVET institutions;
- accreditation of teacher training programmes.
Checking the accreditation of bachelor’s programmes
On the website of the NUC, you can find an overview of accredited bachelor’s programmes.
Checking the accreditation of master's and PhD programmes
On the NUC website, you can only find an overview of accredited master's and PhD programmes in the field of (business) administration. However, accreditation is also mandatory for other fields of study. Do you want to know if a master's or PhD programme in another field of study is accredited? Please contact the NUC.
Checking the accreditation of study programmes from TVET institutions
On the website of the NBTE you can find overviews of accredited study programmes from TVET institutions.
Checking the accreditation of teacher training programmes
Teacher training programmes are accredited by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). There is no overview of accredited teacher training programmes on the TRCN website, but you can look up registered teachers in the TRCN's List of Registered Teachers. In Nigeria, registration is compulsory for people who want to work as a teacher.