How to Pay UNILAG School Fees Online 2026: Step-by-Step Guide for Freshers and Returning Students

📌 Quick Summary: UNILAG (University of Lagos) school fees for the 2026/2027 academic session are paid through the UNILAG student portal at students.unilag.edu.ng. Log in with your JAMB registration number and password, generate your payment advice, and pay online by card or bank transfer, or take the payment advice slip to any commercial bank. Before course registration opens, you must pay 100% of utility fees, 100% of compulsory fees, and at least 50% of obligatory fees. Graduating students must also pay convocation fees in full. UNILAG’s NELFUND (student loan) integration means eligible students can have fees paid through the government student loan scheme. Portal support: dir-cits@unilag.edu.ng. This guide covers the complete UNILAG payment and registration sequence for freshers and returning students in 2026/2027.

Every UNILAG session, thousands of students — freshers and returning — run into problems with fees and course registration because they either paid the wrong amount, used the wrong portal link, or didn’t know the correct sequence of steps. This NaijaSabi guide covers the complete UNILAG school fees payment and registration process based on the official university procedure, so you complete every step correctly and on time.

UNILAG Fee Structure Explained — What You Are Actually Paying

UNILAG breaks its fees into distinct categories, each with different payment requirements before course registration unlocks:

• Utility Fee: A fixed fee currently set at ₦20,000. Must be paid in full (100%) — there is no instalment option for this component. It covers services including ICT access, student facilities and administrative costs
• Toxicology/Drug Screening Fee: Applicable to freshers (new students) — must be paid in full. UNILAG conducts drug screening as part of the fresher clearance process. Amount confirmed at ₦10,000 for the 2025/2026 session
• Obligatory Fees: The main tuition component. Varies by faculty, level and whether your course requires laboratory or studio use. At least 50% of your obligatory fee must be paid before the course registration portal unlocks. The remaining 50% must be settled before semester examinations
• Convocation Fee: Applicable only to graduating students (final year). Must be paid in full before course registration. Amount varies — confirm in your portal when you access your fee breakdown
• Faculty and Departmental Dues: Additional charges specific to some faculties and departments — field trip fees, departmental levies, professional body fees (for law, pharmacy, medicine etc.). These are listed in your fee breakdown on the portal

The golden rule: The course registration portal will only open for a student who has paid 100% of utility, 100% of all compulsory fees including toxicology (freshers) and convocation (graduating students), and at least 50% of the obligatory fee. Below this threshold, the portal stays locked regardless of other actions taken.

UNILAG 2025/2026 Fee Amounts — For Reference

The 2026/2027 fee amounts have not been officially announced as of October 2026. The figures below are from the 2025/2026 session and are provided as the most recent confirmed reference. The 2026/2027 amounts will be published on the UNILAG student portal when the admission list is fully released and freshers are activated. Always confirm your personal fee breakdown by logging into your portal — fees vary by faculty, level and course type.

The wide ranges reflect variation across faculties and the fee increases confirmed at different points in the 2025/2026 session. Log in to your personal portal to see the exact amount applicable to your specific programme.

UNILAG NELFUND — How the Student Loan Scheme Works for Fees

NELFUND (Nigerian Education Loan Fund) — the Federal Government’s student loan scheme — is integrated with UNILAG’s fee system. Eligible students can apply to have their tuition fees covered through NELFUND instead of paying out of pocket. UNILAG’s portal captures fee information and sends it directly to NELFUND for processing for eligible applicants.

To access NELFUND for UNILAG fees:

• Apply through the NELFUND portal at nelfund.gov.ng — you need your JAMB registration number, NIN and bank account details
• Ensure your UNILAG student profile is complete and your fee breakdown is generated on the student portal — NELFUND pulls fee data from the university’s system
• NELFUND covers tuition/obligatory fees, not all fee categories — confirm which components are covered at nelfund.gov.ng
• Disbursement timelines vary — do not delay generating your fees on the UNILAG portal waiting for NELFUND, as this can cause you to miss course registration deadlines

How to Pay UNILAG School Fees Online — Step by Step

1. Accept your admission on JAMB CAPS first. Go to caps.jamb.gov.ng, log in with your JAMB registration number and accept UNILAG’s admission offer. Print your JAMB Admission Letter. This must be completed before you can access the UNILAG student portal for fees
2. Log in to the UNILAG student portal. Go to students.unilag.edu.ng. Log in using your JAMB registration number as your username and the password you set during your initial portal registration. If you are logging in for the first time as a fresher, you may need to complete the initial account setup — follow the on-screen instructions
3. Navigate to “Generate Fees.” From your dashboard, locate the Fees section. Click “Generate Fees” or “View Pay Advice.” The portal calculates your personalised fee breakdown based on your faculty, level and programme type. Review each fee category carefully — utility fee, toxicology (freshers), obligatory fee, convocation (graduating students), and any faculty/departmental dues
4. Refresh payment status if needed. If fees are not appearing or the portal shows outdated information, click “Refresh Payment Status” before generating the fee advice. The UNILAG portal sometimes needs a manual refresh to reflect updated fee configurations at the start of a session
5. Generate and print your payment advice slip. After reviewing your fee breakdown, click “View Pay Advice” and print the document. This slip contains a unique payment reference number (Remita Retrieval Reference — RRR) that identifies your payment. Keep this slip — it is the same slip used for all instalments (you do not generate a new one for each payment)
6. Pay online or at a bank. Two payment channels:
   • Online payment: From the portal, click “Proceed to Pay.” You can pay by debit card (Visa/Mastercard) directly through the portal’s payment gateway. Card payment is the fastest method and reflects on your portal within minutes
   • Bank payment: Take your printed payment advice slip (with the RRR number) to any commercial bank branch and pay at the counter. Inform the teller you are making a Remita payment using the RRR. Bank payments typically reflect on the UNILAG portal within 24–48 hours
7. Confirm payment and proceed to course registration. Once your payment is confirmed on the portal (status changes from “Pending” to “Paid”), return to the student portal and navigate to “Course Registration.” If your payment has met the minimum threshold (100% utility + 100% compulsory + 50% obligatory), the course registration portal opens
8. Register your courses. Select the courses for your current semester from the list approved for your level and department. Consult your Level Adviser or check your department’s notice board for the list of courses you are expected to register for the semester — do not register courses blindly. After selecting, submit your course registration
9. Download your course form. After submitting, click “Download Course Form.” Print it. Take the printed course form to the designated signatories in your faculty or department for endorsement. The endorsed course form is what confirms your registration is academically valid

What to Do If the UNILAG Portal Is Not Working

• “Portal says fees not generated” or blank fee page: Click “Refresh Payment Status” first — the portal sometimes needs this to load new session configurations. If still blank, wait 24 hours and try again. The fee configuration is uploaded centrally at the start of each session and rolls out progressively
• Payment made at bank but not reflecting on portal: Bank payments take 24–48 hours to reflect. If after 48 hours your payment still does not show, go back to the bank with your Remita receipt and request a payment confirmation. Then email dir-cits@unilag.edu.ng with your student details and the Remita receipt attached
• Locked out of course registration despite paying: Confirm that every required fee category is showing as paid — particularly utility fee (must be 100%) and that your obligatory fee has hit the 50% minimum. One unpaid compulsory fee category blocks the entire portal. Email ddcits1@unilag.edu.ng or ddcits2@unilag.edu.ng if the issue persists after confirming all payments
• Wrong password / can’t log in: Use the password reset option on the portal login page. If reset emails are not arriving, contact portal support at dir-cits@unilag.edu.ng with your JAMB registration number and student details

The UNILAG Fresher Registration Sequence — In Correct Order

1. ✅ Accept admission on JAMB CAPS → print JAMB Admission Letter
2. ✅ Complete UNILAG Post-UTME screening and clearance process
3. ✅ Log in to students.unilag.edu.ng → complete biodata/profile setup
4. ✅ Generate fees → view pay advice → print payment advice slip
5. ✅ Pay utility fee (100%), toxicology (100%), at least 50% of obligatory fee
6. ✅ Confirm payment on portal → “Refresh Payment Status”
7. ✅ Apply for NELFUND if eligible (nelfund.gov.ng) — do not wait for NELFUND approval to generate fees
8. ✅ Register courses on the student portal
9. ✅ Download and print course registration form
10. ✅ Get course form endorsed by faculty/department designated signatories
11. ✅ Pay remaining 50% obligatory balance before examinations

Frequently Asked Questions — UNILAG School Fees 2026

How do I pay UNILAG school fees online in 2026?

Log in to the UNILAG student portal at students.unilag.edu.ng using your JAMB registration number and portal password. Navigate to the Fees section, click “Generate Fees” to see your personalised fee breakdown, then click “View Pay Advice” and print your payment advice slip with the Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR). Pay online by debit card directly through the portal’s payment gateway, or take the printed advice slip to any commercial bank and pay at the counter using the RRR. Online card payments reflect immediately; bank payments take 24–48 hours. Once payment reflects, return to the portal and click “Refresh Payment Status” before proceeding to course registration.

How much are UNILAG school fees in 2026?

UNILAG school fees vary by faculty, level and course type. Based on the 2025/2026 session, the utility fee was ₦20,000 (paid in full), toxicology (freshers) was ₦10,000, and obligatory fees ranged from approximately ₦100,750 for courses without laboratories to ₦252,000 for some laboratory-intensive programmes including medicine. The 2026/2027 fee amounts will be published on the UNILAG student portal at students.unilag.edu.ng when the 2026/2027 session opens for freshers — check your personal portal login for your exact amount, as fees are programme-specific.

What is the minimum UNILAG school fees payment before course registration?

Before the UNILAG course registration portal opens, you must have paid: 100% of the utility fee (₦20,000), 100% of all compulsory fees (including toxicology for freshers at ₦10,000, and convocation fee for graduating students), and at least 50% of the obligatory fee. Below these thresholds, the course registration tab remains locked regardless of other portal actions. The remaining 50% of obligatory fees must be settled before semester examinations. All fees are non-negotiable as to the minimum percentage — the portal enforces these automatically.

What do I do if UNILAG portal says my payment is not reflecting?

First, click “Refresh Payment Status” on your dashboard — this manually triggers the portal to check for new payment records. If you paid online by card, it should reflect within minutes; if you paid at a bank, allow 24–48 hours before escalating. If payment still does not reflect after 48 hours, email dir-cits@unilag.edu.ng, ddcits1@unilag.edu.ng or ddcits2@unilag.edu.ng with your JAMB registration number, your student name, the fee amount paid, your Remita receipt (for bank payments) or card transaction confirmation, and a clear description of the issue. UNILAG’s ICT directorate resolves portal payment issues — do not pay again without first confirming with them that your original payment did not post.

Sources

1. UNILAG Official — Important Update: Portal Configuration for Fee Payment and Course Registration — unilag.edu.ng
2. UNILAG Official — Re-opening of Student Portal for Payment of Fees and Registration of Courses, June 14–21, 2026 — unilag.edu.ng
3. UNILAG Official — Online Registration Procedure for 2026/2027 Direct Entry Candidates — unilag.edu.ng

Last updated: 6 October 2026 · NaijaSabi Education Desk. UNILAG school fees change each session. Always log in to the official student portal at students.unilag.edu.ng to confirm your personal fee breakdown for the 2026/2027 session. NaijaSabi is not affiliated with the University of Lagos.