Information for students
from Nigeria

We are delighted you are considering joining UCA to study! Here, you will be able to set your creativity free, learn a wealth of transferable skills, get unique industry insight and be prepared for a successful career in the creative industries.

This page should give you all the information you need to know about applying to UCA from your country, and more about life at UCA too.

And, if you have any questions, see the Get In Touch section to call or email your country’s specialist contact.

Entry requirements

If you do not have UK qualifications, we will consider equivalent qualifications from Nigeria for entry onto our Foundation, Bachelor’s and Master’s courses.

Each application we receive is considered individually and therefore these qualifications are provided as a guide.

Please also check the entry requirements on the specific course you are interested in to check for course-specific requirements.

If you are not sure if you have the necessary qualifications please contact [email protected].


For our Bachelor's courses, we usually require that you have one of the following:

  • Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSSC) or West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC), showing 12 years of completed school study with minimum grades B in 5 subjects OR / National Examinations Council (NECO) -minimum grades B in 5 subjects
  • Nigerian Ordinary National Diploma with CGPA 2.5 Lower Credit
  • A transcript showing successful completion of one year of a Bachelor's degree from a recognised Nigerian university with GPA 2.5/4.0 or GPA 3.0/5.0
  • Nigerian Higher National Diploma for entry into year 1 or 2 or top up

For advanced entry (year two, year three or undergraduate top-up), we usually require that you have a Nigerian HND ( 5years programme including 2 years OND + 1 Year professional Practice + 2 Higher diplomas).

For our International Foundation in Creative Practices and our Integrated Foundation courses, we usually require that you have:

  • Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSSC) or West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC), showing 12 years of completed school study with minimum grades C in 5 subjects
  • National Examinations Council (NECO) - minimum grades C in 5 subjects

Integrated Pre-Masters course

For our Masters courses with Integrated International Pre-Masters, we usually require that you have a Nigerian HND (5 years programme including 2 years OND + 1 Year professional Practice + 2 Higher diplomas). For the 1 semester programme you will need to achieve Upper Credit, and for the two semester programme you will need to achieve Lower Credit or a Pass in a university degree.

Masters course

For our Master’s courses, we usually require that you have successfully completed a Bachelor's degree at a recognised university.

We accept a Senior School Certificate Examination - West African Exams Council (WAEC) / National Examinations Council (NECO), Grade C6 (C5 for our MBA course) or above in English Language.

If you take the IELTS test you will need to achieve the following scores (or an equivalent from other UCA-approved English tests):

  • Undergraduate degree (BA/BSc/BMus):
    6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section (except if listed below)
  • BA Architecture:
    6.5 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section
  • Undergraduate degree with international foundation year:
    5.5 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section
  • International Foundation in Creative Practices:
    5.0 overall with no less than 4.5 in any section
  • Master's Degree (MA/MSc/MFA/MBA/MArch/MMus):
    6.5 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section
  • Pre-Master's (15 Weeks):
    6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section
  • Pre-Master's (30 Weeks):
    5.5 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section
  • Postgraduate Research (PhD/MPhil):
    7.0 overall, with no less than 7.0 in writing and 5.5 in any other section
  • Pre-Doctorate:
    6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section

Scholarships & bursaries

UCA offers a number of fee discounts, also known as scholarships, specific to students from overseas.

These discounts are available to new international students and international alumni, who have graduated within the last three years. 

To find out more about what is available, whether you are eligible, and how to apply, visit our scholarships page.

Overseas representatives

UCA works with a number of overseas representatives who can help you make an application to UCA. If you are considering using the services of one of these companies, we encourage you to refer to the British Council's guide to choosing an education agent and UCA’s Agent Complaint Procedure.

1st CRT Management Services

AECC Study Abroad Consultants

AHZ Nigeria

Alpha International Educonsult

Barach & Beacon Consulting Ltd

Binea Education Limited

Comfort Eduverse Ltd

Courvista International Limited

Dahenric Crest Global Consult

Drums School Finders

Eminent Transglobal Services Ltd Education

Fub Education Visa and Travel Agency Ltd

Jestone Education

Laurem Consulting Services

MOD Education

Ni-DOM Consulting

Opulence International Consult

Regal Uno Consulting (trading as RUC Education)

Sunfol Educational Consultancy Limited

TCL Global

TGM Education

VisaGate Consulting Limited

Wellspring School Support System Ltd

Virtual campus tours

Virtual campus tours

Take a look around our campuses and facilities

View the virtual campus tours

Get in touch

Please let the country manager know if you have any questions or need help with your application!

Seyi Agboola

Senior Regional Recruitment Manager – Africa, Middle East (MEA) & LATAM
Email: [email protected]
Phone/WhatsApp: +44(0)7929 864566