THE RISING PREFERENCE FOR FOREIGN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AMONG NIGERIANS: What a Study Reveals

This Policy Brief draws from a NISER Study on Enhancing the Attractiveness of Nigerian Universities.

Nigerians’ quest for foreign university education is rising, with the UK, the United States, and Canada registering as top destinations (ITA, 2023). For instance, in the 2017/18 and 2021/22 academic sessions, the number of Nigerian students in the UK alone grew from 10,685 to 44,195, a 314% increase, the second-highest after India’s 517% (ICEF Monitor, 2024). This trend impacts positively on the economy of the UK, but for Nigeria, which hardly attracts foreign students, this exerts tremendous  pressure on its scarce foreign exchange.

This policy brief draws attention to the drivers of the outward drift and how to address it.