NOUN Matriculates 23,885 Students

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has matriculated 23,885 newly admitted students, with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, declaring that Open and Distance Learning (ODL) represents the future of higher education.

Uduma made the declaration on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, during the university’s 31st Matriculation Ceremony, held virtually across its study centres nationwide.

The newly matriculated students comprise 17,471 undergraduates, 1,967 Postgraduate Diploma students, 4,333 Master’s students, 10 MPhil/PhD students and 104 PhD candidates.

Uduma said the growing adoption of ODL by conventional universities, alongside the increasing number of young Nigerians choosing NOUN, showed that higher education was moving towards greater flexibility, accessibility, technology-driven learning and learner autonomy.

He said NOUN was established on the principle that geographical location, time, employment and family responsibilities should not prevent access to quality university education.

The vice-chancellor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to widening access to higher education while maintaining academic standards.

He described admission into the university as both a privilege and a responsibility, urging the students to pursue knowledge, competence, character and integrity throughout their academic journey.

Uduma said the changing landscape of higher education in Nigeria was evident in the growing adoption of Open, Distance and e-Learning by conventional universities through distance learning centres and dual-mode academic systems.

He said the development validated the vision upon which NOUN was founded.

“When conventional universities increasingly embrace ODL, they are, in a very real sense, validating the vision that NOUN embraced long ago. NOUN did not wait for the future to arrive before preparing for it. NOUN saw tomorrow before many others saw it,” he said.

Uduma added that while other institutions were entering the ODL space, NOUN had an advantage in its decades of experience, learner-support systems and institutional expertise in delivering education across geographical and social boundaries.

Meanwhile, the Registrar of the university, Mr Oladipo A. Ajayi, administered the matriculation oath to the students via Zoom and urged them to abide by the university’s rules and regulations to avoid expulsion.