Over 2.24 million students sat for the UTME 2026. Every single one of them had to pick a first-choice university, and those picks tell you exactly which schools Nigerians are chasing right now.
Here are top 10 Nigerian Universities that are being chased currently:
- Lagos State University (LASU)— 84,426 applicants
“University of first choice” is soon becoming LASU. 84,426 JAMB applicants chose LASU as their first-choice. That’s about 3.76% of total. LASU held the top UTME position it also had in 2025, and it wasn’t even in the top 10 in 2021 or 2022.
- University Of Lagos (UNILAG)— 78,240 applicants
UNILAG is the reliable one, and it has remained among the top two choices in recent years. With 78,240 JAMB applicants choosing UNILAG as their first choice, they kept the streak alive in 2026 again.
- Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)— 60,370 applicants
This is the comeback story of 2026. OAU moved from 9th place in both 2024 and 2025 straight to 3rd in 2026, pulling in 60,370 first-choice applicants.
- University of Ibadan (UI) — 58,895 applicants
Nigeria’s oldest university and it still has 58,895 people fighting to get in. UI has been climbing steadily. It was 10th in 2022 and 2023, moved to 6th in 2024 and 2025, and now sits at 4th.
- University of Benin (UNIBEN) — 55,425 applicants
UNIBEN is a quiet force. 55,425 applicants picked it as their first choice, and it doesn’t get nearly as much public attention as the Lagos schools.
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) — 54,085 applicants
UNIZIK holds it down for the Southeast with 54,085 applicants picking it as their first choice. It has grown consistently as a go-to for students who want a serious federal university experience without fighting through the top 3 crowd.
- University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) — 52,514 applicants
Here is where it gets interesting. UNILORIN held the number one position from 2021 to 2024, but fell to 3rd in 2025, and is now 7th in 2026 with 52,514 applicants. That is one of the steepest falls in recent JAMB history for a school that was basically untouchable for years.
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) — 51,660 applicants
UNN ranked 8th in 2022, 5th in 2021, 6th in 2023, and 7th in both 2024 and 2025. Nigeria’s first indigenous university keeps drawing 50,000-plus applicants like clockwork.
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) — 48,272 applicants
A federal university that wasn’t even on most people’s radar a few years ago is now pulling 48,272 first-choice applicants and sitting 9th nationally.
- University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) — 48,199 applicants
UNIPORT rounds off the top 10 list with 48,199 first-choice applicants. Port Harcourt’s economic weight as an oil city gives the university a real-world relevance that students feel. 48,199 people agreeing with that is proof enough.
