Nigerian Students Pump $800M+ into U.S. Education Sector Annually — U.S. Envoy
The revelation came from U.S. Cultural Attaché Raisa Duncas during a visit by a U.S. Embassy delegation to the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja. She highlighted two priority areas for deeper cooperation: formally recognising the U.S. High School Diploma for Nigerian university entry and strengthening partnerships on artificial intelligence (AI) policy with Nigerian universities.
According to the latest Open Doors data, Nigeria now ranks eighth globally for sending students to the United States, with nearly 22,000 Nigerians enrolled in American higher institutions for the 2024/2025 academic year — a figure that has steadily risen over recent years.
Duncas noted a major challenge: holders of the U.S. High School Diploma must still obtain additional Nigerian qualifications such as WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB before sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). She called for reciprocity in qualification recognition to improve academic mobility between the two countries.
NUC Executive Secretary Professor Abdullahi Ribadu explained that the U.S. diploma isn’t currently recognised in Nigeria because it hasn’t been included in the national qualification framework. Any formal change would require approval by the National Council on Education and integration by relevant regulatory bodies like JAMB and NBTE.
He suggested two possible routes forward: equating the American diploma with WAEC/NECO for general admission or using it for JAMB direct entry, which would eliminate the need for extra exams. Ribadu added that the NUC is finalising its own AI policy for universities and is open to further collaboration with U.S. institutions.
The U.S. delegation vowed to continue discussions with Nigeria’s education stakeholders to advance both qualification recognition and AI partnership efforts.
