Top 20 Best Universities in Nigeria To Study Law (2024)

Law is one of the most competitive courses in Nigeria. This is not a surprise as it is the prime course of Arts and Humanities. Many Arts and Humanities students always think of becoming a Lawyer one day.

Nigerian universities have produced a lot of great lawyers, including those that are respected at both at home and overseas. You must be wondering which of Nigerians universities are good when it comes to Law. This article will brief you about the top 20 best universities in Nigeria for Law.

Since law is among the most sort after courses in nigeria and students who wish to study this course in any Nigerian university must be aware of the best universities that offer law including their requirements. 

To study law at any Nigerian university, prospective law students are mostly arts students, who during their time in secondary school have credit or distinction in core arts subjects like English Language, Government, Literature-in-English, etc. This is compulsory at O’Level, especially if you are writing WAEC and NECO exams. 

The next stage is to pass your Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examinations (UTME) or better still JAMB. Note that the JAMB subject combinations for law is same every year and can be found in your brochure. Its important you also score 250 or more so that you can be considered for admission by JAMB.

Successful candidates with a JAMB cut-off mark of 250 are the ones normally chosen to write their post UTME upon fulfilling the requirements of the schools they chose to study law. The duration of years to study law in Nigerian universities is a minimum of five (5) years.

As a fresh law graduate after graduation, if you really want to practice, you are required to attend the Nigerian Law School which lasts for a year. Its after this, then you would be called to bar and become a certified lawyer in Nigeria. 

Below are Top 20 Best Universities in Nigeria To Study Law in 2024 

20. University of Abuja

University of Abuja is a federal university that was established on March 1, 1988. The university began work in 1990 and has put on excellent performance since its establishment.

19. Covenant University

Covenant University is generally one of the best university in Nigeria and their Law faculties is very strong. Its a private university and a very disciplined one.

18. Ekiti State University EKSU

Ekiti State University is a state university. Although admission into the university is not so competitive, they have an excellent academic performance.

17. Afe Babalola University

Afe Babalola University is another private university on the list. The university is a hotspot for Law. It is one of the best universities in the country.

16. University of Calabar

University of Calabar is a federal university that evolved from a campus into a university. The university which is popularly known as UNICAL is located in Cross River State.

15. Ogun State University

Ogun State University is a state university that was renamed to Olabisi Onabanjo University. The university is located in Ago Iwoye of Ogun State. They are number 14th on our list of best university in Nigeria for Law programs

14. Delta State University DELSU

Delta State University is another state university on the list. The university runs more than one campus simultaneously. The university is located in Abraka, Delta State.

13. Ambrose Alli University

Ambrose Alli University is not a very popular university in Nigeria, but has a very excellent academic performance and respected law faculty. The university was established in 1981.

12. Abia State University

Abia State University is another state university on the list of the best university in Nigeria to study law. The institution was established to create more admission opportunity. The school has also helped students achieve their dreams.

11. University of Maiduguri

University of Maiduguri is one of the best universities in the north. Renowned for it law program.

10. Babcock University

Babcock University is a private university located in Ogun State. Although the university is a private university, it prides itself in good academic performance and their law faculty is not left out.

9. Ahmadu Bello University ABU Zaria

Ahmadu Bello University is a very good tertiary institution, and it is known generally for its academic performance. The university is very good when it comes to Law practice.

ABU Zaria is one of the best universities in the northern part of the country that teaches law using international standard curriculum. Lawyers churned out from this school are qualified and well equipped to teach Sharia law and other legal courses.

8. Lagos State University LASU

Lagos State University is different from University of Lagos ( Unilag ). The University is of the best state university in Nigeria, located Lagos. It is a hotspot for Law program.

7. University of Benin UniBen

University of Benin started out as an Institute of Technology before it evolved into a full-fledged university. It was founded back in 1970, 10 years after independence.

6. University of Jos

University of Jos started out as a campus of the University of Ibadan in 1974. It was a satellite campus before it evolved into the University of Jos. The university admitted its first set of students in 1992.

5. Obafemi Awolowo University OAU

Obafemi Awolowo University is another notable university in Nigeria. Popularly known as known as OAU, a very competitive university in the country.

4. University of Nigeria, NNSUKA

University of Nigeria came into existence when it became mandatory to establish a university in the Eastern Region. The law was passed on 18 March 1955. A very popular university with a special name. Their law faculty is among the best in the country.

The Faculty of Law, UNN was founded in 1960 with Professor G.M. Johnson appointed as the law faculty’s first Dean. The University of Nigeria also has the historic record of being the first law faculty in the country.

With over 10,000 graduates produced by the school since its inception, they have added their quota to the judiciary in Nigeria and also to the legal profession in the country.

To gain admission to study law at UNN, prospective students must score above 250 in their JAMB which is the cut-off if you must be qualified.

Some departments at the law faculty, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus include:

• Department of International and Comparative Law
• Department of Customary and Indigenous Law
• Department of Commercial and Corporate Law
• Department of Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
• Department of Public Law
• Department of Property Law
• Department of Private Law

3. University of Ibadan

University of Ibadan is one of the oldest universities that has been offering Law. The university is located at the heart of Oyo State and is ranked number one as the best university in Nigeria by “4icu”. They have one of the most renowned law programs in the country.

This school has an ultra-modern law faculty that has a conducive learning environment for learning.

Some Departments at the Faculty of Law at UI are:

• Department of Public and International Law
• Department of Private and Business Law

2. University of Lagos UNILAG

University of Lagos is no doubt an excellent university when it comes to academics. The university produced a lot of notable Nigerians both home and abroad.

UNILAG has been rated as one of the top schools to the study of Law in Nigeria. They also have one of the best faculty of Law with qualified lecturers and professors. UNILAG also employs international teaching practise to better equip their students so as to produce law graduates that can defend societal values.

Its on record that this school has produced some of the best lawyers in Nigeria and has set the bar so high for legal practice in the country. No wonder it is difficult to gain admission into UNILAG to study law. 

The JAMB cut off mark for Law in UNILAG ranges from 250 and above. It is quite competitive and ensures that only a few students get admitted into this school.

Also, the LL.B. Programme at the Faculty of Law, UNILAG which is dully accredited by the  National Universities Commission, NUC,  ensures that students are prepared and well equipped for the legal profession in other various fields of endeavours. Getting the LL.B. degree  is the most important requirement for acceptance into the legal profession in the country.

At the University of Lagos, you get to study legal methods and research in your first year. Courses like Constitutional Law, Law of Evidence, Land Law, Criminal Law, Law of Equity and Trust, etc are all offered at the school. With these, law students are well trained on how to apply legal principles and reasoning to situations.

Departments at UNILAG Law Faculty include:

• Public Law
• Jurisprudence and International Law
• Private and Property Law
• Commercial and Industrial Law

1. University of Ilorin

University of Ilorin is a very popular federal university which is located in Kwara state. The institution is one of the most sought after universities in the country and currently number one on the list of the top 20 best universities in Nigeria to study law.

The Faculty of Law at the University of Ilorin was founded in 1983 and it has been touted as one of the best faculties when it comes to law education. The NUC, in recent times accredited the following legal courses at UNIILORIN: Common Law and Islamic law programmes.

These are the 20 best universities in Nigeria for studying Law this 2024. There are other good universities when it comes to Law, but these are the top 20.