Parents, students decry hike in post-UTME fees, raise concerns over other challenges

Parents, students decry hike in post-UTME fees, raise concerns over other challenges

The recent hike in Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME), acceptance, and clearance fees in Nigerian universities has sparked serious concern among parents, students, and education stakeholders.

Critics also pointed to the logistical difficulties faced by candidates—many of whom travel long distances with their parents for screening—describing the process as an added burden on families already struggling with economic hardship.

They urged universities to review Post-UTME charges downward, abolish acceptance and clearance fees, and adopt online screening for shortlisted candidates to ease financial strain and reduce the risks associated with long-distance travel.

Originally pegged at N2,000, Post-UTME charges in many institutions have now risen to N5,000, N10,000 or more,  depending on the institution.

It would be recalled that the former Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in one of the policy meetings on admission into tertiary institutions, directed schools not to charge above N2,000 for Post-UTME.

Since this pronouncement,  universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and others have continued to charge above the directed fee.

Besides,  candidates who are offered admission are also compelled to pay a non-refundable acceptance fee, ranging from N50,000 to N100,000, depending on the institution.

The acceptance fee, according to the schools, is a commitment fee from the candidates, signifying their genuine interest in taking up the admission offer.

Stakeholders, however, see the fee as unnecessary and exploitative, compounding the challenges and burdens of securing admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, some parents said the fees are compounding the struggle for families seeking affordable higher education for their children.

A parent, Mrs Ammy Elijah, lamented that the charges are forcing parents to make tough financial sacrifices.

“After paying for JAMB, transport, and now Post-UTME, parents are still stressed to bring tens of thousands of Naira, for acceptance and clearance fees.

“It’s frustrating for families like mine, who live on modest incomes,” she said.

Another parent, Akuchi Ahamba, called on the Federal Ministry of Education and regulatory bodies to urgently intervene and set standard guidelines to make Post-UTME and acceptance and clearance fees affordable for all candidates.

Putting the challenges into perspective, a parent, Mr Fred Ugochukwu narrated his ordeal with his two children during the recently concluded University of Ilorin 2025 Post-UTME screening.

Ugochukwu from Imo State, who lived in Kaduna, said he had to abandon his work to accompany his two children to Ilorin for the screening.

“We left a day before the screening commenced. The journey was tedious and risky because of the bad state of the road and reports of kidnapping along the Birnin-Gwari axis

“Another harrowing experience was securing accommodation around the campus, because no provision was made for the candidates,

“I have to pay through the nose to secure the hotel accommodation, where we stayed for the two days, as well as our food,” he said

Ugochukwu also lamented that, during the accreditation and examination proper, the parents who accompanied the candidates were not provided with shelter or seats.

A retired Director of Quality Assurance, FCT, Education Management, Mr Salihu Yahaya, said that the rising cost of Post-UTME registration, acceptance, and clearance fees had left many families struggling, especially amid the current economic downturn.

The retired education administrator said the increasing costs could further shut out children from poor and middle-income families from accessing higher education.

He called on regulators and stakeholders to interrogate the reasons behind the steady rise in examination and admission-related charges.

Yahaya also highlighted the inconvenience students faced in accessing Computer-Based Test centres.

According to him, most existing centres are privately owned, leaving candidates to travel long distances to sit for exams.

He advised the government and relevant bodies to invest in establishing more CBT centres across local governments, thereby easing pressure on students and reducing opportunities for exploitation.

“With more centres, you reduce the chances of overcrowding.

“Stronger institutions should use their resources to set up centres where they are lacking,” Yahaya said.

On his part, the President, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, Prof. Boniface Odeh, highlighted the financial and logistical challenges that have accompanied the increase in Post-UTME and related fees in higher institutions.

Odeh noted that, while Post-UTME examinations remained an important tool for institutions to assess candidates beyond their UTME results, the current economic climate has worsened the financial strain on families.

According to him, many parents are struggling, not only with the higher examination fees but also with additional costs of travelling long distances, accommodation, and subsequent clearance charges.

“While I understand the challenges posed by these exams, particularly the financial burden and logistical inconveniences, I believe that Post-UTME exams serve as a crucial assessment tool for institutions to ensure that students are well-suited for their chosen programmes.

“Nonetheless, I acknowledge that the current economic realities have worsened the difficulties many families face,” he said.

To address this, he suggested several measures, including simplifying the examination process to cut down on costs and travel demands. He also recommended a review of acceptance and clearance fees to make them more reasonable and transparent, while exploring alternative assessment methods that would ease the financial strain on students.

He further urged institutions to adopt a “more flexible approach” rather than imposing Post-UTME as a blanket requirement for all applicants. Odeh called for a joint effort involving universities, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders to create a fairer and more inclusive admission system.

“Ultimately, what we need are solutions that uphold quality assurance while reducing the financial pressure on parents and students,” he added.

With the 2025 admission process already underway nationwide, stakeholders warned that unless rising fees and logistical hurdles are properly addressed, the crisis of access to tertiary education could worsen.

NAN