Inside LASU & UNILAG’s Crazy Accommodation Fees: How Lagos Students Are Being Priced Out of Education
University education in Lagos is fast becoming a luxury, not because of tuition fees alone, but due to outrageous accommodation costs at the state’s two biggest public universities — University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Lagos State University (LASU).
For many average Lagos families, the dream of sending their children to public universities is slipping away as hostel fees soar to levels that rival — and sometimes exceed — private house rents. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
At LASU, students are forced to choose between high costs and unhealthy living conditions.
The school operates old and new hostel blocks, both shockingly expensive:
Old hostels: ₦282,500 per student (₦1.13 million per room, four students)
New hostels: ₦352,500 per student (₦1.41 million per room)
This is in Ojo, where a room apartment outside campus still rents for ₦80,000–₦100,000 yearly.
Yet, students say the hostels don’t justify the cost.
“The water is coloured and oily. Sometimes it smells,” a 200-level student said.
“Water is supposed to be colourless, odourless and tasteless.”
In the old hostels, the situation is worse:
Dirty, overflowing toilets
Constant stench
Scarce water
Unstable electricity
A student in Adenike Boho Hostel described life there as “hellish.”
Because hostel spaces can only accommodate less than 50% of students, many are forced off-campus — exposing them to insecurity, rising rents, and transport stress.
Unsurprisingly, rents around Ojo have exploded:
Room self-contained apartments now cost ₦380,000–₦420,000, up from ₦150,000.
Parents are groaning. Students are considering dropping out
At UNILAG, the accommodation crisis is more severe and more chaotic.
Privately run hostels: Up to ₦700,000 per student
Four students per room = ₦2.8 million per room yearly
Ironically, school-owned hostels are cheap (₦80,000) — but:
They are grossly inadequate
Many are dilapidated and uninhabitable
Hostel balloting has reportedly been discontinued
As a result, students:
Sleep on floors
Squat with friends
Sleep in corridors and open spaces
Commute long distances daily
A 200-level student said:
“I spend about ₦5,000 daily on transport. I can only come to school twice a week. This will affect me academically.”
A 400-level Chemistry student added:
“I slept on the floor in my first and second years. The environment was not conducive at all.”
Another student now commutes from Mowe — over 40km away — because campus housing is either unavailable or unaffordable.
Education or Survival? Students Are Trapped
The consequences are clear:
Missed lectures
Poor academic performance
Limited access to libraries and labs
Rising dropout fears
Students are now calling on:
University authorities
Lagos State Government
Relevant education agencies
to urgently expand hostel capacity, renovate existing facilities, regulate fees, and provide affordable alternatives.
Many warn that the next academic session could be a disaster if nothing changes.
For now, Lagos students are left with a painful question:
Is public university education still truly “public” — or only for those who can afford to survive it?