KWASU school fees for all courses is one of the most searched topics among prospective students planning to study at Kwara State University, largely because the amount payable depends on several factors at once, including a student’s state-of-origin status, their level of study, and to a lesser extent their faculty. KWASU, located in Malete, Kwara State, is a state-owned institution established in 2009 and has grown into one of Nigeria’s more reputable state universities, with an enrollment of more than 30,000 students across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. This article breaks down exactly what students pay, how fees differ between indigenes and non-indigenes, what the university’s roughly 50 undergraduate programs cost, and how selective admission into KWASU actually is.
About Kwara State University
KWASU was founded under the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki with the stated aim of becoming more than a conventional Nigerian university, placing a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship alongside standard academic training. The university runs its academic programs across eleven faculties: Agriculture, Allied Health Sciences, Arts, Basic Medical Sciences, Education, Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Law, Management and Social Sciences, and Pure and Applied Sciences. Within these faculties, KWASU offers around 44 to 50 approved undergraduate programs, alongside postgraduate programs spanning Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s, and PhD levels.
It is worth clarifying a common point of confusion for prospective applicants: Kwara State also operates a separate institution, the Kwara State University of Education (KWASUED), based in Ilorin, which focuses specifically on education-related courses. KWASU, based in Malete, is the conventional university offering the full spread of programs referenced throughout this article, including Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, and the sciences.
KWASU School Fees Structure Overview
KWASU applies a differential fee structure, meaning the amount a student pays depends primarily on two factors: whether the student is an indigene of Kwara State or a non-indigene, and whether the student is a fresh or returning student. Indigenes of Kwara State receive a subsidized rate, while non-indigenes pay a noticeably higher amount, a pattern common across Nigerian state universities since these institutions are primarily funded to serve residents of the state that owns them.
| Student Category | Estimated Fee (per session) |
|---|---|
| Indigene fresher (100 Level / Direct Entry) | ₦99,500 – ₦152,000 |
| Non-indigene fresher (100 Level / Direct Entry) | ₦195,000 – ₦300,000 |
| Indigene returning student | ₦27,700 – ₦109,500 |
| Non-indigene returning student | ₦109,500 – ₦210,000 |
| IJMB / JUPEB, Science track | ₦210,000 |
| IJMB / JUPEB, Non-science track | ₦195,000 |
Fresh students consistently pay more than returning students in their first session because the fresher charge bundles one-time costs on top of standard tuition, including matriculation processing, ICT registration, medical screening, and identity card issuance. From the second year onward, students pay only the recurring school charges, which brings the total down considerably. The gap between indigene and non-indigene fees typically runs to around ₦100,000 per session, so a non-indigene student should budget noticeably more than an indigene applying for the same program and level.
KWASU Acceptance Fee
Newly admitted students are required to pay a separate, one-time acceptance fee before proceeding to pay their main school fees. The KWASU acceptance fee is currently set at ₦50,000 for most newly admitted students, though some sources place it in a wider range of ₦35,000 to ₦120,000 depending on the specific program and admission cycle, since this figure has shifted across recent sessions. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid promptly after an admission offer is confirmed, since it formally signals a candidate’s acceptance of the offer and is typically a prerequisite before school fees payment becomes accessible on the portal.
Does KWASU Charge Different Fees by Course?
There is some inconsistency in how KWASU’s fee structure is reported across recent admission cycles, and it is worth addressing directly. Several official-style breakdowns describe KWASU’s base tuition as largely uniform across courses, meaning a student studying Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Computer Science, Mass Communication, or Law pays a broadly similar core school fee, with the main differentiators being indigene/non-indigene status and level of study rather than the specific course. Other sources, however, describe more noticeable variation by faculty, with Pure and Applied Sciences and Engineering and Technology attracting higher charges than Arts, Education, or Management and Social Sciences, due to added laboratory, practical, and departmental levies layered on top of the base school fee.
The most accurate way to reconcile these two pictures is this: KWASU’s core tuition and general school charges (registration, ICT, examination, library, and development levy) are applied fairly consistently across courses, but departments with heavier laboratory or practical demands, particularly under Pure and Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Basic Medical Sciences, and Allied Health Sciences, add departmental-specific levies on top of that base figure. This is why a Computer Science or Engineering student can end up paying somewhat more overall than an Arts or Social Sciences student, even where the core tuition line is nearly identical.
| Faculty Group | Estimated Fee Range (fresher, per session) |
|---|---|
| Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management | ₦180,000 – ₦210,000 |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | ₦200,000 – ₦240,000 |
| Engineering and Technology, Allied Health Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences | ₦170,000 (base tuition) plus departmental levies, often reaching ₦240,000 – ₦300,000 overall |
| Law | Comparable to Pure and Applied Sciences, with additional professional/departmental charges |
Given how much these figures have shifted across recent sessions and how differently various sources categorize the same programs, candidates should treat the ranges above as planning estimates and confirm the exact current figure for their specific department directly on the KWASU school fees portal before making payment.
KWASU Courses and Estimated Fee Tier
The table below lists a broad selection of KWASU’s undergraduate programs across its eleven faculties, along with the fee tier each falls under based on the faculty-group breakdown above. Use this as a general planning guide rather than a confirmed per-course invoice, since the exact figure for any specific department should be generated directly from the student’s own portal account.
| Faculty | Course | Estimated Fee Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Medical Sciences | Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) | Highest tier (Engineering/Health Sciences range) |
| Allied Health Sciences | Nursing Science | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Pharmacy | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Medical Laboratory Science | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Physiotherapy | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Public Health | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Environmental Health Science | Highest tier |
| Allied Health Sciences | Nutrition and Dietetics | Highest tier |
| Law | Common Law | Upper-mid tier |
| Law | Common and Islamic Law | Upper-mid tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Civil Engineering | Highest tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Electrical/Electronics Engineering | Highest tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Mechanical Engineering | Highest tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering | Highest tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering | Highest tier |
| Engineering and Technology | Computer Engineering | Highest tier |
| ICT | Computer Science | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| ICT | Software Engineering | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| ICT | Cyber Security | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| ICT | Information Technology | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| ICT | Telecommunication Science | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Environmental Sciences | Architecture | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Environmental Sciences | Estate Management | Humanities/Management tier |
| Environmental Sciences | Quantity Surveying | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Environmental Sciences | Surveying and Geoinformatics | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Environmental Sciences | Urban and Regional Planning | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Accounting | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Business Administration | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Economics | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Banking and Finance | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Mass Communication | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Political Science | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Public Administration | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Sociology | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Criminology and Security Studies | Humanities/Management tier |
| Management and Social Sciences | Entrepreneurship | Humanities/Management tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Biochemistry | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Microbiology | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Physics | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Chemistry | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Mathematics | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Statistics | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Plant Biology | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Pure and Applied Sciences | Industrial Chemistry | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Arts | English Language | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | History and International Studies | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | Christian Religious Studies | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | Islamic Studies | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | Arabic Language and Literature | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | Fine and Applied Arts | Humanities/Management tier |
| Arts | Theatre Arts | Humanities/Management tier |
| Education | Guidance and Counselling | Humanities/Management tier |
| Education | Educational Technology | Humanities/Management tier |
| Education | Science Education (Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Mathematics) | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Education | Social Studies Education | Humanities/Management tier |
| Agriculture | Agricultural Economics and Farm Management | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Agriculture | Animal Science | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Agriculture | Crop Production | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Agriculture | Soil Science | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Agriculture | Aquaculture and Fisheries | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
| Agriculture | Forestry and Wildlife Management | Pure/Applied Sciences tier |
What KWASU School Fees Cover
The standard school charge at KWASU is a consolidated figure rather than a single tuition line, and it typically includes tuition, registration, examination fees, ICT services, library charges, and a development levy. It does not include accommodation, the one-time acceptance fee for new students, or certain department-specific charges that apply only to particular faculties. For example, students in the College of Agriculture have historically paid separate charges for items such as excursions, professional registration, and farming practice training, on top of the standard school fee. Hostel accommodation, where a student chooses to live on campus, is billed separately and typically ranges between ₦35,000 and ₦65,000 per session depending on the hostel and bed space allocated.
Students should also budget for costs that sit entirely outside the official fee schedule, such as textbooks, personal upkeep, transportation, and off-campus accommodation for students who do not secure or choose not to take a campus hostel space.
How to Pay KWASU School Fees
Payment of school fees at KWASU is handled entirely through the university’s official student portal rather than direct cash payment to staff. The general process works as follows:
- Visit the official KWASU portal directly rather than a third-party website.
- Log in using the appropriate credentials: fresh students typically use their JAMB Registration Number as username, with a temporary password such as their surname or JAMB number, while returning students log in with their Matriculation Number.
- Navigate to the “My Finance” or “Pay Fees” section of the dashboard.
- Select the correct academic session and generate a payment invoice, which produces a Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) or an equivalent Interswitch reference.
- Complete payment either online using an ATM card (MasterCard, Visa, or Verve), or by printing the invoice and paying in cash at any commercial bank branch using the reference code.
- Return to the portal after payment to verify that the transaction reflects correctly against the student’s account.
- Print the official school fees receipt and course registration form for personal records, since these may be required during physical clearance or departmental verification.
KWASU allows a degree of flexibility for students who cannot pay the full amount at once, typically permitting a staggered payment arrangement where a larger portion, often around 60 percent, is paid before the semester begins, with the remaining balance settled before examinations. Students who miss the payment deadline for a semester risk a late payment penalty, which can range from ₦10,000 to ₦20,000, and in more serious cases, late or incomplete payment can affect a student’s eligibility to sit examinations for that semester.
Admission Requirements and How Selective KWASU Is
KWASU does not publish a specific numerical acceptance rate the way institutions in some other countries report a fixed percentage of applicants admitted each session. What functions as the practical measure of how selective the university is comes down to its cut-off mark structure and Post-UTME screening process instead.
The general minimum UTME cut-off mark for KWASU has moved between 140 and 180 across recent admission cycles, tracking the national benchmark set annually by JAMB at its Policy Meeting. Meeting this general minimum only qualifies a candidate to apply for the university’s Post-UTME screening exercise; it does not guarantee admission on its own. Final admission is determined by an aggregate score combining a candidate’s UTME result, O’Level grades, and Post-UTME screening performance.
Competitiveness varies significantly by program. While the general baseline sits in the 140 to 180 range, more competitive courses require noticeably higher scores. Nursing and Law have both required scores of 200 or higher in recent cycles, while Engineering and Computer Science have generally sat in the 180-plus range. Programs under Basic Medical Sciences and Allied Health Sciences tend to be the most oversubscribed relative to available slots, which pushes their effective competitiveness above what the general cut-off mark alone would suggest.
To be eligible for KWASU’s Post-UTME screening in the first place, a candidate must also meet these baseline conditions:
- A minimum of five O’Level credits, including English Language and Mathematics, obtained in not more than two sittings from WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, or GCE.
- KWASU selected as the candidate’s first choice of institution during JAMB registration, since second-choice candidates are not accepted.
- The correct JAMB subject combination for the intended course.
- A minimum age of 16 years by the time of admission, unless the candidate is certified as academically gifted.
- Payment of the Post-UTME screening fee, typically a modest amount paid through Remita, along with upload of the candidate’s JAMB result, O’Level results, birth certificate, local government identification, and a passport photograph as part of the screening application.
Given all of this, the most accurate description of how selective KWASU is would be that general entry is moderately accessible for most programs at a UTME score in the 140s to 180s, while flagship and clinically oriented programs, particularly Nursing, Medicine, and Law, function as some of the most competitive tracks at the university and typically require scores well above the general minimum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to study at KWASU per session? Indigene freshers typically pay between ₦99,500 and ₦152,000, while non-indigene freshers pay between ₦195,000 and ₦300,000, depending on the program. Returning students pay considerably less, since the one-time fresher charges no longer apply.
How much is the KWASU acceptance fee? The acceptance fee is currently around ₦50,000 for most newly admitted students, though it has ranged between ₦35,000 and ₦120,000 across different admission cycles depending on the specific program.
Does KWASU charge different fees for different courses? Base tuition and standard school charges are broadly similar across courses, but faculties with heavier laboratory or practical demands, particularly Engineering and Technology, Basic Medical Sciences, and Allied Health Sciences, attract additional departmental levies that push their overall cost higher than Arts, Education, or Management and Social Sciences programs.
What is included in the standard KWASU school fee? The standard fee covers tuition, registration, examination charges, ICT services, library charges, and a development levy. It excludes accommodation, the one-time acceptance fee, and certain department-specific charges such as excursion or practical training fees in faculties like Agriculture.
Does KWASU allow installment payment of school fees? Yes. KWASU generally permits a staggered payment arrangement, with a larger portion paid before the semester begins and the remainder settled before examinations, though the exact policy should be confirmed with the Bursary Department each session.
How selective is admission into KWASU? KWASU does not publish an official acceptance rate percentage. The clearest indicator of selectivity is its cut-off mark and Post-UTME aggregate screening system, with general entry sitting in the 140 to 180 UTME range and highly competitive programs like Nursing, Medicine, and Law requiring scores well above that baseline.