Lagos is not just Nigeria’s largest city, but a city of opportunity, creativity, and vibrant youthful energy. And what better way to experience that energy than from the very universities that will shape the future of the city? Universities in Lagos do more than produce graduates; they are stores of culture, intellect, and dreams. They actively shape the identities of the next generation of leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers, while simultaneously providing unique tourist experiences for potential visitors wanting to experience and enjoy the essence of the city. This story takes you through five of Lagos’s universities, allowing you to experience a slice of what they have to offer.
5 Best Universities in Lagos
1. University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba
2. Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo
3. Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Lekki
4. Caleb University, Imota
5. Anchor University Lagos (AUL), Ayobo-Ipaja
Best Universities in Lagos
Whether you are a parent looking for the best school for your child, a prospective student searching for the
best place to study, or a curious visitor wanting to see more of Lagos, beyond the beaches and
marketplaces, this list will inform and inspire.
1 University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba
Simply referred to as UNILAG, you can reverence this great alma mater as ‘godfather’, because it is one of the universities Nigeria established two years after independence, in 1962. Situated in the Akoka area of Yaba, the Lagos Lagoon surrounds and features the university, which is a source of inspiration to every environmental student.
UNILAG houses many iconic buildings, such as Afe Babalola Hall and the Amphitheatre, a place where students hold academic, cultural, and other significant student events. The UNILAG Lagoon Front is your perfect resting point within the campus; simply take a stroll at leisure or enjoy the cool wind and serene water. UNILAG highlights its well-equipped and large sports complex with pride– be it for football (soccer), basketball, swimming, and athletics, sports lovers are not left out.
University of Lagos has 12 faculties putting forward all manner of courses across disciplines from the Arts to Engineering with schools of professional practice such as UNILAG Business School, and Institute of Maritime Studies. It attracts thousands of students to its campus every year. The university enjoys a reputation for high-level research and innovation and regularly ranks as the top university in West Africa.
Visitors or new residents to Lagos will find the university a good point of access to cultural sites– national monuments, artistic shops, the National Theatre, and busy markets. So, the university is not just a place to study, but also a lens through which can view the rich tapestry of Lagos life.
Motto: In Deed And In Truth
Location: University of Lagos, University Road, Lagos Mainland, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos State.
2. Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo
Lagos State University (LASU) has experienced speedy growth and expansion as a state institution since it came into existence in 1983. LASU combines trditional academic values with modern advances in educational systems. Ultimately, it has become a home institution for many residing in Lagos simply because of its affordability and breadth of academic disciplines.
A strength of Lagos State University (LASU) is its fully realized 360-degree Campus virtual tour, which offers a useful way to demonstrate the campus configuration and all it has to offer for students and potential applicants alike, who cannot visit the campus in person. One of the features worth mentioning about LASU is its Engineering and Agriculture-only campus located in Epe. The Epe campus allows students to study Engineering and Agriculture only, but they have to leave the Epe campus for lectures, seminars, or exams in Ojo.
Academically, LASU has strong faculties in Law, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. LASU has signed other international MoUs with Universities, including the Triune Biblical University (TBU) Global Extension, USA, because it helps give the university some relevance to other parts of the world, and more exposure or opportunities for its students. It’s very good for encouraging research, supports modes to achieve social impacts or educational equality in a society that is hardly equitable.
For visitors, Lagos State University (LASU) is close to historic landscapes, natural features, and other attractions such as the Badagry Slave Route and the beaches around Lagos. Generally, LASU is one of those places you’d like to observe, like how an academic wind farm can operate in a community full of cultural heritage.
Motto: For Truth and Service (Per La Verità E Di Servizio)
Location: Lasu Main Road, Ojo, Lagos State.
3. Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Lekki
Pan-Atlantic University is situated on Lekki-Epe Expressway, it has nurtured and graduated future professionals with high ethics since its inception in the year 2002.
The PAU Lagos Business School is the most prestigious of all PAU branches and is consistently placed among the top ones on the African continent. The campus of PAU is equipped with state-of-the-art educational infrastructure in the form of smart classrooms, tech-enabled libraries, collaborative lounges, and recreation facilities that add to the living and learning experience of students. All elements of this university reflect the highest standard of excellence.
PAU’s academic curriculum includes courses in Business Administration, Accounting, Mass Communication, and Information Science and Media Studies. Industry professionals help develop in curriculum so that students are assured of the knowledge they will have and the employability skills they will possess when they graduate from the university. There are also leadership and ethics programs that PAS embeds into its academic curriculum.
For visitors or travelers, the availability of leisure-based facilities near the university is an added advantage. There are leisure-based shops, e.g., the Lekki Conservation Centre, Eleko Beach, and various art galleries, which allow the visitors to satisfy their recreational interest and their academic interest.
Motto: Unlocking Potential, Building Responsible Leaders.
Location: Km 52 Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos State.
4. Caleb University, Imota
Caleb University was established in 2007 and is located quietly in the little town of Imota. An obviously peaceful town, suitable and comfortable for learning, research, and innovation. Caleb University is one of the newest private institutions in Lagos, that has gained good recognition for learning and the application of innovation in its curriculum.
Caleb University, scholastically, stands out with exemplary programs in Architecture, Computer Sciences, Finance, and Environmental Sciences. They foster entrepreneurship and leadership because they arm their students with the capabilities not only to exist, but to create employment and solutions to challenges within their communities.
Caleb University is not within the very center of Lagos city, but it permits the visitors to sense the much more tranquil rural Lagos. It is a sweeter respite from the noise, pollution, and crowding of urban living. The local community is also quiet and conducive for serious study.
The Caleb University campus itself is well landscaped with beautiful landscaping feature of wide green spaces which provide calming views for relaxing academic reflection. It also takes pride in its advanced facilities, this is seen in the class rooms, laboratories, and technology-enabled learning centers.
Motto: For God and Humanity
Location: Ikorodu, Ibadan-Ijebu Ode Road, Imota, Lagos State.
5. Anchor University Lagos (AUL), Ayobo-Ipaja
The Deeper Christian Life Ministry funds the Anchor University and was founded in 2014. It aims to integrate faith into education. The location is in the Ayobo-Ipaja area of Lagos, and it provides a peaceful, clean, and systematic university environment for students to pursue their studies with a disposition toward spiritual development.
The university boasts of state-of-the-art amenities including digital libraries, research centers, recreational zones, and a chapel. It also has an outstanding faculty of student organizations. The focus is to facilitate the holistic development of students as an effort to promote leadership, extra-curricular activities, and community service.
Academically, they offer degree programs such as Microbiology, Physics with Electronics, Business Administration, and Mass Communication at no cost. They include all aspects of moral development to create not just smart minds, but, responsible and respectable citizens.
Visitors to Anchor University will find out that there is nothing in Lagos like this. For everyday people, rarely is something so steeped in academic opportunity, civic duty, and spiritual food. It is an outside-of-the-box sampling of how a particular religious belief, or beliefs, can co-exist with, much less provide world-class opportunities for post-high school education in Lagos.
Motto: Character, Competence, Courage
Location: Ayobo Street, Ayobo Road, Ipaja, Lagos State.
Conclusion
These universities are unique ecosystems that depict the diversity, resilience, and aspirational character attributed to Lagos State. The institutions we have engaged with exemplified a plethora of values, coupled with lagoons with vistas, ethical business education, history, and rurality.
Whether you wish to learn, collaborate, or simply explore, these five best universities offer experiences that are worth more than lectures and books. They are the heartbeat of Lagos’s cultural and intellectual life—and they’re waiting for you to explore them.
