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Should Every Child Go to the University?

NLTC Team · 16 May 2026 · 9 min read

University is not the only path to a successful future. In a country where fewer than half of JAMB applicants get admitted, this is a conversation every Nigerian parent and student needs to have honestly.

Introduction

Every year in Nigeria, millions of parents make one wish for their children: "Enter university." It has become almost a cultural expectation — the default measure of a child's academic success and future potential. But is university truly the right path for every child? And in a country where the National Universities Commission (NUC) has confirmed that Nigerian universities can only accommodate about 700,000 students out of over two million applicants each year, is the pressure we place on children to pursue university admission doing more harm than good?

This is not an argument against university education. University is a powerful and transformative experience that opens doors no other path can. But it is also not the only path to a successful, fulfilling, and financially rewarding life. In this post, we explore both sides of this important question honestly — because every child deserves a future built on their strengths, not just society's expectations.

The Reality of University Admission in Nigeria

The numbers tell a sobering story. In the 2025 JAMB admission cycle, out of 2,007,312 UTME applicants, only 1,009,044 were eventually admitted across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education combined. That means roughly one in two students who wrote JAMB did not gain admission into any institution at all. At the university level alone, the competition is even fiercer — research consistently shows that on average, fewer than 20 percent of university applicants secure a place.

The University of Ibadan, one of Nigeria's most prestigious institutions, admitted just 4,430 students out of 46,916 applicants for the 2025/2026 academic session — a success rate of under 10 percent. For every child admitted into UI, nine others were turned away. This is not a failure of those nine children. It is a capacity problem that no amount of hard work can fully overcome when the spaces simply do not exist.

Against this backdrop, the question is not just "should my child go to university?" It is also: "What is the plan if they don't get in — and is that plan good enough to build a life on?"

Why University Is Still Worth Pursuing

Let us be clear: for many career paths, university education is not optional — it is compulsory. There are professions in Nigeria where a university degree is a legal and professional requirement, and no amount of skill or talent can substitute for it. These include:

• Medicine and Surgery: You cannot practice as a medical doctor in Nigeria without an MBBS degree from a recognised university. No polytechnic, vocational school, or certificate programme qualifies you for this.
• Law: A university degree in Law (LLB) followed by attendance at the Nigerian Law School is mandatory for anyone wishing to practise as a barrister or solicitor.
• Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing (degree level), and Veterinary Medicine all require university training.
• Engineering at senior corporate or international levels: While polytechnics train excellent engineers at the HND level, multinational companies and senior public sector roles typically require a B.Eng. or B.Sc. degree.
• Academia and Research: If a child aspires to become a lecturer, professor, or researcher, university — and likely postgraduate study — is the only route.
• Certain government and public service roles specify a first degree as a minimum qualification for entry.

Beyond professional requirements, university broadens a young person's mind in ways that go beyond the classroom. Critical thinking, exposure to diverse ideas, networking, and the experience of intellectual rigour all have lifelong value. For children who are academically inclined and have a clear career goal that requires a degree, the pursuit of university education is absolutely worth every effort.

But University Is Not Right for Every Child

The honest truth that Nigerian parents rarely hear — or rarely accept — is that university education is not designed for every personality type, every learning style, or every career path. Forcing a child who is practically gifted but academically average into years of university study they are not suited for can be damaging, expensive, and ultimately counterproductive.

Consider these realities:

• A child who is brilliant with their hands — who can repair engines, build structures, wire electrical systems, or design fashion — may thrive in a polytechnic or vocational training environment far more than in a lecture hall studying theory they struggle to connect with.
• A child with exceptional entrepreneurial instincts may build more wealth and create more jobs by developing a practical skill early than by spending four to six years studying a course they have little passion for.
• A child who is creative — in fashion, photography, graphics, music, or film — may find that a portfolio of work opens more doors than a degree certificate ever will.
• Not every child who fails to gain university admission has failed in life. Many have simply been directed by circumstances toward a different path — one that, if taken seriously, can be just as rewarding.

The Alternatives to University: Respectable, Viable, and Often Overlooked

1. Polytechnics and Monotechnics

Nigeria has over 150 accredited polytechnics regulated by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). These institutions offer National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in engineering, technology, business, environmental studies, computer science, mass communication, and more. Unlike universities, polytechnics emphasise hands-on, practical training that prepares graduates for direct entry into the workforce.

The best polytechnics in Nigeria — including Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Auchi Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, and Kaduna Polytechnic — produce highly skilled graduates who are competitive in the job market. HND holders are now also eligible for NYSC and, through top-up degree programmes, can convert their HND to a B.Sc. Many successful Nigerian engineers, accountants, and IT professionals hold HND certificates, not degrees.

2. Colleges of Education

For students who are passionate about teaching, Colleges of Education award the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) — a qualification that allows graduates to teach at the primary and junior secondary school levels. In an exciting new development from the 2026/2027 admission cycle, candidates applying for NCE programmes are no longer required to sit for JAMB UTME. They can apply directly using their O'Level results. This policy change is a recognition that teaching is a vital profession that should be more accessible.

3. Vocational and Technical Education

Skills are the new currency of the 21st-century economy. Across Nigeria and the world, there is a growing and often unmet demand for technically skilled professionals — electricians, plumbers, mechanics, welders, solar panel installers, tilers, painters, cabinetmakers, and more. A young person who completes a quality vocational training programme and masters a practical trade can earn significantly more than many university graduates struggling with unemployment.

The Federal Government's revised 2025 curriculum, now being implemented in secondary schools nationwide, has placed new emphasis on trade and vocational subjects precisely because of this reality. The government recognises that not every student should be funnelled toward university, and that practical skills are essential to Nigeria's economic development.

4. Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship

Digital skills, in particular, have created entirely new career paths that did not exist a generation ago. Graphic design, web development, video editing, digital marketing, content creation, UI/UX design, data analysis, and cybersecurity are fields where a talented, self-taught or short-course-trained young Nigerian can build a thriving career — often without a university degree. Many of the most financially successful young Nigerians today built their careers on skills, not certificates.

The Problem With Pressure: What It Does to Children

The intense pressure that Nigerian families place on children to gain university admission — regardless of a child's strengths, interests, or readiness — has real consequences. Children who are forced to write JAMB year after year, failing to gain admission while watching peers move forward, often develop anxiety, low self-esteem, and a deep sense of failure. Some spend three, four, or even five years at home "waiting for admission" with no alternative plan, losing valuable years of their youth and development.

The former Minister of Education once pointedly noted that only about 20 percent of students can be accommodated in Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education combined. For the remaining 80 percent, the question of what comes next is not a peripheral issue — it is the central one. Parents and students who plan only for university, with no consideration of alternatives, leave themselves dangerously exposed when admission does not come through.

How to Decide What Is Right for Your Child

The most important thing a parent can do is resist the urge to impose their own dream on their child. Here is a more constructive approach:

• Identify your child's genuine strengths: Is your child naturally academic, or are they more practical and hands-on? Do they love reading and analysis, or do they prefer building, creating, and doing?
• Discuss career goals honestly: What does your child actually want to do with their life? Does that career path require a university degree, or are there equally valid alternative routes?
• Consider personality and maturity: University demands a level of self-discipline and independence that not every young person is ready for at 18. Some children benefit from a polytechnic or vocational path first, and pursue further academic study later when they are more mature and focused.
• Do not confuse the certificate with the competence: The goal is not just to hold a degree — it is to become skilled, employable, and financially independent. Those outcomes can be achieved through multiple paths.
• Have a Plan B from the start: Whether your child is aiming for university or not, ensure there is a clear, dignified, and productive alternative plan in place. Waiting at home indefinitely is not a plan.

The Role of Quality Preparation — Regardless of the Path

Whether a child is heading to university, polytechnic, or a vocational training programme, one thing remains true: they must be prepared. JAMB remains a gateway to both universities and polytechnics. WAEC and NECO results open doors to every post-secondary path. A child with strong O'Level results and a good JAMB score has options — they are not locked into one route. The student without those results has far fewer choices.

This is where quality tutorial support makes a lasting difference. At Next Level Tutorial College (NLTC), we prepare students not just for JAMB, but for life after secondary school — whatever path that takes. We help students understand their options, build their academic confidence, and walk into every examination ready to perform at their best.

Conclusion

University is a wonderful destination for many children — but it is not the only destination worth pursuing. Nigeria needs doctors and lawyers, yes. But it also needs skilled technicians, creative entrepreneurs, excellent teachers, and practically gifted professionals who build, repair, and sustain the infrastructure of daily life. Every child has something valuable to offer. The job of parents, teachers, and mentors is not to force every child through the same narrow gate, but to help each one find the path where their potential is truly unleashed.

Support your child's education fully. Prepare them thoroughly. But also be open to the possibility that their greatest success may not come in the form you originally imagined — and that is perfectly fine.