National Open University admission requirements and how to apply

To gain admission into any university in Nigeria, you are expected to meet certain key admission requirements. Almost all higher institutions in Nigeria have six basic requirements for secondary school leavers who are seeking admission into their schools.

However, admission seekers are expected to meet all these requirements before a university or polytechnic in Nigeria can consider them for any program.

Meanwhile, these same conditions are applicable to highly competitive institutions and those considered second-choice universities.

Interestingly, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is one of such institutions that is very competitive and like other institutions, there are basic conditions you must meet to get admission into the higher institution.

Quick info about the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) as we have it today has become a leading ODL institution in Africa providing functional, flexible, accessible and cost-effective education for all who seek knowledge.

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It currently has 78 Study Centres spread across the six geo-political zones of the country. The current student population stands at over five hundred thousand.

As a faithful trustee of the Nigerian people, NOUN leverages on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to deliver an education tailored towards the globalized economy. The University offers exceptional academic programmes that meet the specific needs of all sectors of the global economy, in the Arts; Health; Law; Physical, Social, Agricultural and Management Sciences.

This article presents a full explanation of how to apply for admission at NOUN and the basic requirements needed for a smooth entry into the institution:

The basic requirements for undergraduate programmes at NOUN

Here are the requirements for admission into NOUN:

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• An applicant for undergraduate admission into NOUN is normally expected to have a minimum of 5 O-level credits including English Language and Mathematics.
• Additional requirements might apply for some programmes and these can be viewed after selecting the Programme and entry level at the Faculty’s admission page.
• To apply for a programme, select the Faculty, choose the programme and entry-level so that the View Requirement button is enabled. Clicking this button will reveal the corresponding entry requirement and enable the Apply button on the pre-payment application page.
• Fill in all the remaining details on the page before submitting.
• On successful submission of the pre-payment form, you are redirected to Remita to obtain an RRR invoice which should be used to effect payment for the application form.
• An applicant who pays online using a payment card will automatically obtain the online form which must be filled before submission.
• Applicants who pay through a bank branch must click on “Continue After Payment” and enter their Unique ID and RRR. They are also given the opportunity to change the Programme applied for.
• Applicants who had paid using an RRR generated last semester or earlier must restart the application process upto the point when they are re-directed to remita. They should now use the newly generated UniqueID with the old RRR used for payment when they click Proceed after payment.
• In all cases a successful payment will lead to the generation of an online application form which should be filled before submission online. The admission process is automated and the outcome is virtually instantaneous!

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How to apply for Postgraduate Programmes at NOUN (key requirements)

1. To qualify for admission into any of the postgraduate programmes of the University, a candidate must meet, among others, all matriculation requirements of at least five (5) credit passes including English Language and Mathematics. Some programmes accept at least a pass in Mathematics.
2. For Postgraduate Diploma Programmes, Candidates must possess either a minimum of pass Bachelors Degree in any discipline from a University recognised by the Senate of the NOUN OR a Higher National Diploma with a minimum of Lower Credit. For the Postgraduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting, the candidate must have been called to the Bar. Also for admission into the school of Business and Human Resource Management Postgraduate Diploma programmes, candidates with professional qualifications such as ACA, ACIS, ACIB, ACII, ACIA, etc may be considered on individual merit.
3. For Master degree programmes, candidates must possess either a Bachelors Degree with a minimum of second class lower in the relevant field of study from a University recongnised by the Senate of the NOUN. However, holders of lower classification and with a minimum of 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience may be considered on individual merit OR a Postgraduate Diploma in related field of study from a recongnised University OR A Higher National Diploma with a minimum of Upper Credit in the relevant field of study. Candidate with membership certificate of relevant professional bodies may apply for the Master of Business (MBA) programme.
4. For the Doctor of Philosophy Degree prorammes, candidates must possess a masters degree in relevant field of study from a University recongised by the Senate of the NOUN with a minimum score average of not less than 60% or a cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.5 on a 5-point scale.

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Step-by-step procedure on how to apply for admission into NOUN:

Here's a simple guide to the seamless application process for admission at NOUN:

1. Visit the site www.nouonline.net
2. On the Home Page, go to the Menu Bar, Click on Apply for Admission
3. Select either Undergraduate Programme or Postgraduate Programme. Other programme is not available at the moment
4. Goto “Choose Faculty” (note it can be found at the left hand side of the screen)
5. Select Faculty
6. Fill displayed form
7. Click below to view admission criteria
8. Click “Apply” to proceed.
9. Take note of the UNIQUE ID displayed
10. Click ‘Continue’ button
11. Select Bank Branch as payment type
12. Click “Pay”
13. Copy and take your RRR number to any bank branch for payment.

After payment:

1. Perform step 1 to 3
2. Goto “Continue After Payment”
3. Input Unique ID, RRR number and Programme
4. Click “Proceed”
5. Fill Form. Note: all fields marked with red star are compulsory.

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After filling form:

1. Click “Submit”
2. Print Admission Letter
3. Visit the nearest study centre for screening

NUC releases list of approved Open Universities in Nigeria

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the acting executive secretary of the National Universities Commission(NUC), Chris J Maiyaki, has disclosed the number of open universities that have been approved to operate in Nigeria.

Maiyaki said out of the 260 approved universities in Nigeria, five are open universities.

He stated this during the visit of the President and Principal of King’s College London, Proffer Shitij Kapur.

List of new courses NUC approved for Nigerian universities

Earlier, NOUN inaugurated a committee in 2021 to create a new core curriculum and minimum academic standards for universities.

The committee constituted experts from various disciplines in Nigerian universities. Professor Abubakar Rasheed, the executive secretary of the NUC, disclosed that the new core curriculum and minimum academic standards came into existence after a thorough review of the benchmark minimum academic standards that Nigerian universities are using.

Source: Legit.ng