The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, will graduate 16,152 students at its 41st convocation ceremony, with 365 of the graduands earning first-class honours in the 2025/2026 academic session.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing at the university auditorium, Ilorin, ahead of the institution’s convocation ceremonies scheduled to run until October 25.
According to him, the university will confer first degrees on 11,213 graduands, while 4,939 others will receive higher degrees and diplomas.
Giving a breakdown of the first degree results, Egbewole said 365 students earned first-class honours, 4,367 obtained second-class upper division, 5,102 graduated with second-class lower division, 1,006 obtained third-class degrees, while 30 graduated with pass degrees.
The graduating class also includes students from professional programmes, with 19 medical graduates, 89 nursing graduates, 73 pharmacy graduates, 41 optometry graduates, 89 physiotherapy graduates and 32 veterinary medicine graduates.
The Vice-Chancellor explained that the higher degrees and diplomas comprise 160 postgraduate diplomas, 901 master’s degrees across various faculties, 114 professional master’s degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees and 251 Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
He added that 3,511 students would graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
Beyond conventional academic qualifications, the university also graduated 8,320 students under its U-INSPIRE programme, which equips participants with additional 21st-century skills through partnerships with 10 industry partners.
Egbewole said the initiative reflects the institution’s commitment to preparing graduates for the demands of the modern workplace and entrepreneurship.
He disclosed that Toyibah Abiodun Abdullateef, a student of the Department of Science Education and a member of the 2026 U-INSPIRE graduating cohort, designed the logo for the 41st convocation ceremonies.
The Vice-Chancellor described the graduating students as evidence of the university’s sustained commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research and innovation.
He also commended the institution’s academic and non-academic staff, parents, guardians, alumni, partners and other stakeholders for their contributions to the students’ academic achievements.
Highlighting major developments recorded during the 2025/2026 academic session, Egbewole said UNILORIN received a ₦25 million award from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) at the sixth National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award in recognition of its commitment to admission regulations.
He said the university also received a ₦1 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for equipment upgrades in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
According to him, the institution secured full accreditation for 11 academic programmes following the National Universities Commission’s accreditation exercise in November 2025.
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