Council of Legal Education Approves 122 Universities to Study Law in Nigeria: Full List for 2026

Are you dreaming of studying law in Nigeria? Or maybe someone in your family is hoping to gain admission this year. Either way, there is a fresh update you cannot afford to miss.

The Council of Legal Education has just expanded its list of approved law schools. The number now stands at 122 universities. And the story behind that number is more interesting than a simple headline.

In a notice dated August 14, 2026, the Council listed 122 universities approved to admit students into the LL.B programme. The notice was signed by the Council’s Secretary and Director of Administration, Aderonke Osho. This is the third update to the list in under six months. Each version tells its own story about who made the cut, who did not, and why it matters so much.

How the number climbed from 111 to 122

Anyone following this list closely knows it has been a moving target all through 2026. In March, the Council published 114 approved universities. By June, that number rose to 117. Three new institutions joined the roll that month: Aletheia University in Ogun State, Lux Mundi University in Abia State, and Western Delta University in Delta State.

Now, in August, the list has grown again to 122. So why does the number keep shifting?

The Council has explained this clearly. It said it would continue updating the list as needed, in line with its statutory duty to regulate legal education. Each new version usually means one of two things. Either a university has just passed accreditation, or an existing one has been placed under review for falling short of standards.

The Akwa Ibom story everyone is talking about

The most talked about name on the new list is Akwa Ibom State University, widely known as AKSU. Its path onto the list has become a case study in why students should never take accreditation claims at face value.

Back in November 2025, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno made a bold claim. He told a gathering of political appointees that his defection from the PDP to the APC had helped secure law programme approval for AKSU. But months passed, and AKSU’s name was still missing.

It was absent from the 114 list in March. It was absent again from the 117 list in June. That repeated omission left real students stuck in limbo. Anyone already admitted into AKSU’s law faculty had no guarantee their degree would even qualify them for the Nigerian Law School, the final and compulsory step before anyone can be called to the bar.

With the August 14 update, AKSU has finally appeared on the Council’s approved list. The university is located at Ikot Akpaden in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. With this addition, Akwa Ibom State now has three recognised law universities: the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State University, and Topfaith University in Mkpatak.

So what is the real lesson here? A political statement or a school’s own advertising is never proof of accreditation. Only the Council’s official published list counts.

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Why this list is not just paperwork

The Council has repeated this warning several times this year, and it deserves repeating again. Admission into an unapproved law programme is effectively a dead end. Worse, it wastes years of time and money.

The Council has stated this plainly. Any university that admits students into a law programme without proper approval acts contrary to Nigeria’s legal education regulations. As a result, graduates of such unapproved programmes will not be eligible for admission into the Nigerian Law School.

No Law School admission means no call to the bar. It does not matter how well known the university is, or how convincing its marketing sounds. If the name is not on the Council’s current list, the degree will not open the door to legal practice.

Full list of universities approved to run LL.B programmes in Nigeria

Here is the list of 117 universities the Council confirmed in its June 2026 notice. All of them remain on the expanded 122 list released in August. Akwa Ibom State University has since been confirmed as a new addition.

Note that the Council has not yet published the individual names of the remaining new entries between 117 and 122. So always cross check the Council’s most recent official notice before applying anywhere.

1. Abia State University, Uturu
2. Achievers University, Owo
3. Adamawa State University, Mubi
4. Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko
5. Adeleke University, Ede
6. Admiralty University, Ibusa
7. Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti
8. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
9. Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo
10. Al Ansar University, Maiduguri
11. Al Hikmah University, Ilorin
12. Aletheia University, Ago Iwoye
13. Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike
14. American University of Nigeria, Yola
15. Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma
16. Anchor University, Ayobo
17. Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo
18. Ave Maria University, Piyanko
19. Azman University, Kano
20. Babcock University, Ilishan Remo
21. Bauchi State University, Gadau
22. Bayero University, Kano
23. Baze University, Abuja (currently under an admission moratorium)
24. Benson Idahosa University, Benin City
25. Bingham University, Karu
26. Bowen University, Iwo
27. Caleb University, Imota
28. Chrisland University, Abeokuta
29. Christopher University, Mowe
30. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam
31. Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara
32. Crescent University, Abeokuta
33. Delta State University, Abraka
34. Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki
35. Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo
36. Edo University, Iyamho
37. Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti
38. El Amin University, Minna
39. Elizade University, Ilara Mokin
40. Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani
41. Federal University, Dutsin Ma
42. Federal University, Lokoja
43. Federal University, Otuoke
44. Federal University, Wukari
45. Fountain University, Osogbo
46. Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu
47. Gombe State University, Gombe
48. Gregory University, Uturu
49. Hensard University, Toru Orua
50. Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai
51. Igbinedion University, Okada
52. Imo State University, Owerri
53. Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji
54. Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Ogboko
55. Koladaisi University, Ibadan
56. Kwara State University, Malete
57. Lagos State University, Ojo
58. Lead City University, Ibadan (currently under an admission moratorium)
59. Lux Mundi University, Umuahia
60. Madonna University, Okija
61. Maduka University, Ekwegbe Nsukka
62. Margaret Lawrence University, Abuja
63. Maryam Abacha American University, Kano
64. McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo
65. Mewar International University, Masaka
66. Modibbo Adama University, Yola
67. Nasarawa State University, Keffi
68. Newgate University, Minna
69. Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island
70. Nigerian British University, Asa
71. Nile University, Abuja
72. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
73. North Eastern University, Gombe
74. Northwest University, Kano (also known as Yusuf Maitama Sule University)
75. Northwest University, Kalambaina, Wamakko
76. Novena University, Ogume
77. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife
78. Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye
79. Osun State University, Osogbo
80. Peter University, Achina
81. Philomath University, Abuja
82. Plateau State University, Bokkos
83. Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil (currently under an admission moratorium)
84. Prime University, Kuje
85. Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba
86. Rayhaan University, Birnin Kebbi
87. Redeemer’s University, Ede
88. Renaissance University, Ugbawka
89. Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (formerly Benue State University)
90. Rivers State University, Port Harcourt
91. Salem University, Lokoja
92. Sam Maris University, Supare Akoko
93. Shanahan University, Onitsha
94. Skyline University, Kano
95. Taraba State University, Jalingo
96. Thomas Adewumi University, Oko Irese
97. Topfaith University, Mkpatak
98. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina
99. University of Abuja
100. University of Benin
101. University of Calabar
102. University of Delta, Agbor
103. University of Ibadan
104. University of Ilesa
105. University of Ilorin
106. University of Jos
107. University of Lagos
108. University of Maiduguri
109. University of Nigeria, Nsukka
110. University of Port Harcourt
111. University of Uyo
112. University on the Niger, Umunya
113. Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto
114. Veritas University, Bwari
115. Wesley University, Ondo
116. Western Delta University, Oghara
117. Yobe State University, Damaturu

Newly confirmed addition (August 2026): Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden.

What every prospective law student should do next

So, what should you actually do with this information? Here is a simple checklist to follow before applying anywhere:

1. Check your chosen university’s name against the Council’s most recent notice. Do not rely on an old list from earlier in the year, since it has already changed three times in 2026.
2. Watch out for any university marked under a moratorium. Being on the list does not always mean the school can admit new law students right now.
3. Never rely on adverts, political statements, or word of mouth as proof of accreditation. Instead, verify directly with the Council of Legal Education or the Nigerian Law School.
4. Expect more updates. The Council has made clear this is an ongoing process, so additional institutions could join the list in the months ahead.

Conclusion

Nigeria’s demand for lawyers keeps growing. Naturally, so does the number of universities opening law faculties to meet that demand. But the Council of Legal Education must balance this growth against its duty to protect academic standards. That is why the list keeps shifting instead of staying fixed.

In fact, the rise from 111 to 122 approved universities in under a year shows something positive. It shows a system working through a genuine backlog, not a system in disarray.

So what is the safest move for any student, parent, or guardian? Confirm a university’s current accreditation status directly with the Council before committing to admission. It only takes five minutes, and it could save years of wasted effort and heartbreak down the line.