Obafemi Awolowo University

History

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife is one of three Universities established in Nigeria between 1961 and 1962 as a result of the report submitted to the Federal Government in September, 1960, by a Commission it appointed in April 1959 under the Chairmanship of Sir Eric Ashby, Master of Clare College, to survey the needs of post-secondary and higher education in Nigeria over the next twenty years.

Education

In 1992, the University established a collegiate system with five Colleges. The system did not function effectively and was abandoned after two years. However, the Postgraduate College and the College of Health Sciences were retained. The College of Health Sciences now comprises of the Faculties of Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences and Dentistry.

Research

Throughout its history, OAU has pursued a strong commitment to the highest level of scientific research and teaching. The high level scientific work and researchers give a strong foundation for all technical education.Research at OAU covers a broad spectrum of the main fields of technology. OAU hosts a community of about 5,000 staff and over 26,000 students, and Research at OAU is conducted in a number of different ways, through individual Faculties and University Research Centres.

Obafemi Awolowo University Key Statistics & Highlights

#1157 Ranking
45 Scholarships
1,324 Academic Staff
32,830 Students
14,445 Students (female)

Obafemi Awolowo University Overview

Obafemi Awolowo University Scholarships

Master Bachelor PhD

Obafemi Awolowo University Scholarships

Below you will find scholarships related to Obafemi Awolowo University. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

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U.S. government

Location not available

Mundus MAPP EMJM Scholarship

Merit-based

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Mundus MAPP

Location not available

ServiceScape Scholarship

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ServiceScape

Location not available

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ACES Education Fund

Location not available

Moving Mates Scholarship

Need-based

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Moving Mates

Location not available

The Rick Blight Leadership in Action Scholarship for Athletes

Merit-based

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Canadian Men’s Health Foundation

Location not available

Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility

Merit-based

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OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation

Location not available

Headway’s Book Lovers Scholarship

Merit-based

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Headway

Location not available

Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships

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ACU (The Association of Commonweath Universities)

Location not available

Jewish Heritage Scholarship

Merit-based

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Diamant Gerstein

Location not available

Women Scholarship for International Students

Merit-based

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educations.com

Location not available

Kreditkortlistan Financial Scholarship

Merit-based

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Enkla Media - Kreditkortlistan

Location not available

$1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship

Merit-based

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IvyPanda

Location not available

CryptoRunner Scholarship

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CryptoRunner

Location not available

The Bill Walsh Scholarship

Merit-based

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ACES: The Society for Editing

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Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

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Ayn Rand Institute

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Dream Chaser Scholarship

Merit-based

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Salvado Law

Location not available

Pinsky Law New Venture Development Scholarship

Merit-based

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Pinsky Law

Location not available

Go Global MBA Scholarship

Merit-based

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educations.com

Location not available

Scholarship for students with disabilities

Need-based

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Anonymous Hope Fund

Location not available

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Complete overview of scholarships

Obafemi Awolowo University Student Reviews & Awards

3.9

Based on 54 reviews

5 Star

13 Reviews
4 Star

27 Reviews
3 Star

10 Reviews
2 Star

4 Reviews
1 Star

0 Reviews

5/5

Demanding, transformative, and worth every push

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria, doesn't hand you anything — you earn it. As a 500 level student, maintaining a first-class CGPA across every session, including a perfect 5.0 in my third year, meant genuinely mastering my field under pressure (pressures like loss of a loved one, financial downtimes etc.), with limited resources and uncompromisingly high expectations. The environment forges discipline and intellectual toughness that no comfortable university could. It is difficult, and that difficulty is exactly its greatest gift. The academic rigor here built a foundation strong enough to carry me onto international stages. Representing OAU in three consecutive ChemE-Sports competitions, I didn't just participate — I won. At the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Students' Conference in San Diego, I claimed 9 awards including Overall First Place and Regional Winner for Europe & Africa. The Donald F. Othmer Academic Excellence Award recognized me as the top AIChE student member with the highest scholastic GPA in my chapter. None of that was gifted. It was a product of a rugged, character-building study experience. Beyond competitions, OAU pushed me into real research — extracting polyaromatic hydrocarbons from crude oil-contaminated water, producing biochar briquettes from waste for sustainable cooking, and currently exploring green additives as replacements for conventional drilling fluid additives. These are hands-on contributions to real engineering problems, not classroom exercises. The university also cultivated leadership in me. As SPE OAU Director of Community Engagement, I organized Energy4me STEM outreaches to secondary schools, charity visits, and environmental initiatives. As Communication Team Lead for SPE Lagos, I authored weekly technical write-ups educating the public on energy innovation. I came into OAU curious. I am leaving it as an award-winning chemical engineer — recognized as the overall best student in my department at 200 level (OAU Star Award), MTN Foundation Scholar as best 300 level student, and SPE Lagos & First E&P Scholar for best 400 level student, among many others. Obafemi Awolowo University is difficult. Unapologetically so. And that difficulty is its greatest gift to anyone willing to match it.

Posted by Anonymous

Studied from Jan 2020 - Dec 2026

Posted on Apr 2026

5/5

A good academic period and a good campus

Very good, I learned new things, about education and about living alone.

Posted by Anonymous

Studied from Dec 2021 - Sep 2026

Posted on Mar 2026

2/5

Problem with Educational system

My country has some issues with the educational system and my current institution is no difference

Posted by Ololade Adebisi

Studied from Nov 2025 - Dec 2030

Posted on Jan 2026

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Obafemi Awolowo University Rankings

Study Portals Meta Ranking

Top 20.5% Nigeria

Top 23.1% Worldwide

Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.

Best Global Universities Rankings

1157

By U.S. News & World Report

Dropped 78 places compared to 2025

Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.

3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings

2024	2025	2026
1088	1079	1157

We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.

World University Rankings

1501

By Times Higher Education

The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.

World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend World University Rankings

2024	2025	2026
1501	-	1501

We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.

More rankings and student reviews

Accreditation

The National Universities Commission (NUC), which has the statutory mandate to accredit academic programmes in all Nigerian Universities, has given full (100%) accreditation to all the academic programmes being run by the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Faculty of Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Obafemi Awolowo University Campus Locations

#1 Main Campus

Nigeria Country

Ifo City

View location in Google Maps