UNILORIN to Graduate 16,152 Students at 41st Convocation, 365 Make First Class

The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) will graduate 16,152 students at its 41st convocation ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic session, with 365 students earning first-class honours.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), disclosed the figures on Monday during a press briefing ahead of the ceremony, scheduled to hold from Wednesday, October 21, to Friday, October 23, 2026.

According to Egbewole, 11,213 graduands will receive first degrees. The figure includes 365 first-class graduates, 4,367 students with second-class upper honours, 5,102 with second-class lower honours, 1,006 third-class graduates and 30 pass-degree recipients.

The graduating class also includes students from professional programmes. They comprise 19 graduates in Medicine and Surgery, 89 in Nursing, 73 in Pharmacy, 41 in Optometry, 89 in Physiotherapy and 32 in Veterinary Medicine.

The Vice-Chancellor said another 4,939 graduands would receive higher degrees and diplomas. These include 160 postgraduate diploma recipients, 901 master’s degree graduates, 114 professional master’s degree recipients, two Master of Philosophy graduates and 251 doctorate degree recipients. A further 3,511 students will graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.

Egbewole also revealed that 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE initiative, which equips participants with additional 21st-century skills alongside their primary qualifications through partnerships with 10 industry partners.

He described the graduation figures and the institution’s ongoing initiatives as evidence of its commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research, innovation and the production of skilled graduates for national and global development.

Reflecting on his administration, which began on October 16, 2022, Egbewole said the convocation offered an opportunity to assess the university’s progress and consider the institutional legacy being prepared for his successor. He said the university had sustained stability, academic excellence and peace while improving digital infrastructure, staff and student welfare, research, teaching, campus facilities and external partnerships.

He added that the institution remained committed to its “Vision 1:10:500” ambition of becoming Nigeria’s number-one university, ranking among Africa’s top 10 and securing a place among the world’s top 500 universities.

As part of the convocation activities, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, will deliver the convocation lecture on Friday, October 23, at 9am. The lecture is titled From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership.

The university will also stage its convocation opera, The Death of the Crown’s Escort, at the Performing and Film Arts Theatre on Tuesday, October 20, with performances scheduled for 4pm and 6pm.

Graduands from four-year programmes will receive their degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, October 21 and 22, while those from five-year and six-year programmes will be presented for their degrees on Friday, October 23.

President Bola Tinubu, the university’s Visitor, is expected to commission completed projects on campus at 2.30pm on Friday. The programme will also feature a convocation luncheon and merit awards for deserving staff members at the university’s Multipurpose Hall at 4.30pm.

The activities began with a special Jumat service on Friday, October 16, followed by an interdenominational church service on Sunday, October 18. The celebrations are scheduled to conclude with a thanksgiving service at St Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25.