The Council for Legal Education (CLE) has approved 114 universities in Nigeria to run Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) programmes starting in 2026. This list includes both public and private institutions across 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Among the approved universities are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Nasarawa State University, Keffi. Some institutions, including Baze University, Abuja, and Lead City University, Ibadan, are currently under moratorium on new admissions despite retaining CLE approval. The Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, is also on the list, qualifying its graduates to proceed to the Nigerian Law School. The CLE's directive ensures that only graduates from these accredited institutions will be eligible for admission into the Nigerian Law School and, subsequently, the legal profession. The full list includes Abia State University, Uturu, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, and Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, among others. Students are advised to verify the admission status of institutions under moratorium before applying.
Baze University and Lead City University remain on the CLE list but cannot admit new law students — a signal that accreditation alone does not guarantee access. For Nigerian students, this means even approved institutions may block entry due to internal restrictions. The real bottleneck is not approval but capacity, and that limits opportunities regardless of policy assurances.
