The arguments on which is better between federal and state universities keep on growing every single year. Aspirants would always want to know so they can make their right choice of institution, and during their research, they might end up getting contradicting information from different sources, which would lead them into confusion.
But the truth is that they are both good in their own ways. Considering the different factors, which I will discuss later on in this article, federal universities have an upper hand against state universities in some ways and vice versa. .
So if you are that person who wants to know more about this topic, then this article is for you. I will be comparing state universities and federal universities using different factors like school fees, admission style, and more just to know which is best. Before we proceed, let’s start by getting the difference between a state university and a federal university.
What Is A State University?
A state university is a type of university whose activity and others are controlled by the state government.
What Is A Federal University?
A federal university is a type of university that is being managed and controlled by the federal government.
Which Is Better Between a Federal University and a State University?
1 Admission Style
The admission style is simply the way a university runs their admission process. To explain this very well, I will be dividing this part into two. The first one will talk about the difficulty in gaining admission, while the other will talk about their admission examination.
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Book Your Consultation Nowi Difficulty in gaining admission
Generally, no university admission is easy, and the same applies for both state and federal universities. There are only certain conditions a candidate will meet that will give him/her an upper hand over the others during the time of admission. Let’s start by talking about that of the state university.
State universities are known for favoring aspirants (indigene) from their state compared to people from other regions. But that doesn’t mean the admission of an indigene is certain; don’t get me wrong. So you picking a university in your state gives you a higher chance of gaining admission.
But this doesn’t apply for federal universities. They use what we call a catchment area, and people who fall under this area are given special treatment, like a lower cut of the mark. But still, that doesn’t guarantee admission of someone who falls under the catchment area.
This means it might be slightly difficult for you to be given admission into a state university if you are not an indigene, except you have a very good and high grade. And also, it might be slightly hard for you to gain admission into a federal university if you don’t fall under the catchment area, as you will have to put in more effort to reach the cutoff mark because yours will be higher compared to others from the catchment area.
So looking at this, State University should be better for you if you are an indigene, as you will have a better chance of gaining admission. While federal universities should be better for you if you fall under the catchment area, as your cutoff mark will be lesser compared to people from other regions.
ii Admission Examination
Those days, federal universities were known for conducting post-UTME exams for their candidates, which one would need to pass before he/she could be considered for admission. While state universities were known for conducting a screening exercise for their candidates and will be given admission based on the screening score.
But presently, some federal universities have changed from writing post-UTME to conducting screening exercises. So here is how it works: after conducting the screening in a federal university, they will release the results just like a state university and will start giving admission once it’s time. But note that there are still many federal universities conducting post-UTME, like UI, OAU, UNILAG, and the rest.
So for this aspect, if you prefer a university that does screening, then you should consider a state university and some federal universities that have stated doing screening. While if you prefer a university that does post-UTME exams, then you should consider a federal university still doing post-UTME.
2 Transparency
Federal universities (those still doing post-UTME exams) are transparent when it comes to giving admission compared to state universities. Generally, universities that release a departmental cutoff mark before giving admission to aspirants are transparent compared to those that just give admission without releasing a departmental cutoff mark.
This is because, once you know the departmental cutoff mark, you will know if you will end up being given admission or not. Most federal universities that are still conducting the post-UTME exam always release their departmental cutoff mark, which encourages transparency. But for state universities that do just screening, once the results are released, they will just start giving admission without you knowing what specific criteria they are using.
That’s when you will see cases like someone with a very high score not being given admission, and those with a lower score will be given admission. So for this aspect, if you prefer a university that is transparent when it comes to giving admission, then a federal university that is still conducting the post-UTME exam should be better for you, and if not, then a state university should be better for you.
3 Ranking
In terms of ranking in Nigeria and in the world, I must say that federal universities are ranking better compared to state universities. In Nigeria, the universities ranking in the top 5 are mostly federal universities, and even in the world, they are still topping state universities.
So if you feel ranking is also part of the factors you are looking for, then a federal university should be better for you.
4 ASUU Strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, popularly known as ASUU, is a body that brings academic staffs of different universities together. Over the years, they have been the voice of the academic staff when it comes to issues like payment of salary and more.
But even at that, it has really affected academic activities in universities. Once ASUU calls a strike, all universities under them will have to pause academic activities till everything is sorted out, and sometimes this takes up to 4 months or more. Because of that, the number of years students are supposed to spend in school will be extended, which many people don’t like.
That’s why you see some aspirants avoiding universities that are under ASUU. Now the question here is, is a federal or state university under the umbrella of ASUU? The truth is that almost all federal universities are under ASUU, but this is not the same for state universities. Though we have some state universities that are under ASUU, it’s not many compared to that of the federal universities.
So for this part, if you are avoiding the ASUU strike, then the state university should be better for you.
5 Academic Calendar
For this part, I must say that state universities have a faster academic calendar in the likes of LASU and more compared to a federal university. Most state universities in Nigeria are very much ahead of federal universities, and students tend to finish their 4-year course even before getting to the 4-year course.
Different factors, especially the ASUU strike, affected most federal universities, and now they seem to be behind. Even at that, most state universities use just 8 weeks for a semester and write their exams immediately after lectures have been concluded, but this is not the same in federal universities.
So if you are looking for a university with a quick academic calendar, then state university should be better for you.
6 School Fees
Federal universities generally have lower tuition fees compared to state universities. In fact, some state universities pay more than $250,000 for a course that’s not even competitive. This is the reason why most people prefer to attend federal universities, especially students that are paying their school fees themselves.
Presently, the only state university that still has affordable school fees is Lagos State University. LASU pays₦90,000 for stream 1 and₦180,000 for stream 2. But this is not the same in other state universities, and most even collect more than ₦200,000. So if you are considering a university with a cheaper tuition fee, then Federal University should be your choice.
7 Academic Background and Reputation
Federal universities have a better reputation compared to state universities. In fact, most of the big names, politicians, celebrities, and more in Nigeria attended a federal university. Don’t get me wrong, some other big names and celebrities attend a state university, but most of them all pass through a federal university.
8 Population
Federal universities in the likes of UI, OAU, UNILAG, and more have a larger population than state universities. But I think things might change in a few years because most candidates presently are shifting their attention to state universities, which might lead to them leading federal universities in this aspect.
9 Extra Curricular Activities
I know most of you like universities that involve themselves in extracurricular activities like sports and more. Well, the truth here is that both federal and state universities partake in extracurricular activities, which makes them equal in this aspect.
In fact, there is an association known as NUGA (Nigerian University Games Association). Once in a while, they organize games, and almost all universities in Nigeria, both state and federal, will come together to compete. Most people love sports, and if you are one of them, you can go to a federal university or state university since they both involve themselves in extracurricular activities.
So with all these factors listed above, I guess you should have known which is better between a state and a federal university. But before we end this article, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
FAQs
Are federal universities school fees high?
No, they aren’t high compared to that of state universities.
Is it hard to gain admission into a federal university?
Generally, no university is easy to gain admission into. You will have to meet up with their cutoff mark before you can be considered for admission.
Do all federal universities do post-UTME?
Though most federal universities do post-UTME, not all. Some do screening rather.
Is the academic calendar of State University faster than that of Federal University?
Yes, most state universities are ahead of federal universities due to several factors, with the ASUU strike being among them.
Conclusion
I think that’s all you need to know for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.