Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
In a development that underscores the steady expansion of Nigeria’s university system, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) has matriculated 6,505 students for the 2025/2026 academic session across its various faculties, colleges, and postgraduate programs.
The ceremony reflects the institution’s sustained growth since its establishment in 1975 as one of the country’s second-generation federal universities.
What began with a modest graduating class of 72 students at its first convocation in November 1980 has evolved into a major academic centre producing thousands of graduates annually.
Addressing the newly admitted students, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Bashiru Garba, highlighted the university’s structural and academic expansion.
He noted that the institution now operates 17 faculties, a College of Health Sciences, a College of Postgraduate Studies, a School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, a School of Public Health, 15 research centres and institutes, as well as a Central Research Laboratory and several academic and administrative units.
According to him, the growth reflects the foresight of the founding fathers and the Federal Government’s long term investment in higher education as a catalyst for national development.
A breakdown of the 2025/2026 admissions shows that 306 students were admitted into the Faculty of Agriculture; 187 into Arabic and Islamic Studies; 65 into Arts; and 1,146 into Chemical and Life Sciences.
The Faculty of Education and Extension Services admitted 583 students, while Engineering and Environmental Design enrolled 396.
Management Sciences admitted 398 students, Law 80, Social Sciences 509, Pharmaceutical Sciences 150, Physical and Computing Sciences 777, and Veterinary Medicine 120.
The College of Health Sciences, comprising five faculties and two schools, admitted 822 students, while 1,008 candidates secured admission into postgraduate programs.
Education stakeholders say the distribution of admissions reflects the institution’s strategic focus on critical sectors such as healthcare, science, technology, agriculture and governance areas central to Nigeria’s socio-economic advancement.
One of the matriculating students, Mariam Abdullahi, expressed gratitude to God and her parents for the opportunity to pursue higher education. She pledged to remain focused and work towards graduating with a First Class degree.
With this latest intake, UDUS further cements its position as a key contributor to Nigeria’s human capital development and research ecosystem.
