The Lead City University of Ibadan, also known as LCU, is a private university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Initially founded as City University, Ibadan, the Lead City University of Ibadan was approved by the National Universities Commission in December 2003 and ratified on February 16, 2005 by the Federal Executive Council. The following month, the university's Board of Trustees and Council agreed to change its name to Lead City University, Ibadan following confusion with other, similarly named institutions.
Statistics from the university's 15th Convocation (Enterprise Graduate Class of 2022):
The university is accredited by the Council of Legal Education, and can send students to the Nigerian Law School for legal education and training, as well as admit candidates to the Nigerian Bar upon successful completion of the prescribed requirements.
Prospective students seeking admission to the university must have the university as their first choice in Jamb UTME and credit passes in 5 subjects, including both mathematics and English, in GCE/WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, or equivalents.
The university offers a diverse range of courses which include:
In 2018, the Vice Chancellor, Kabiru Adeyemo, announced that Lead City University obtained accreditation for additional postgraduate courses. These include five additional courses at both the postgraduate diploma (PGD) and Master of Science levels: Masters of Business Administration, Accounting, Banking, and Finance, and a PGD in Hospital Services Administration. The university also obtained accreditation for Ph.D programs in Accounting, Economics, Public Administration, and Business Administration.
The National Universities Commission approved a doctorate program in Computer Science at the university in January 2020.
During the 12th convocation in 2019, the university signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and American International School of Medicine in Guyana for medicine, medical health and environmental health programmes.
During the 15th convocation in 2022, Adeyemo urged the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the ASUU strike to foster growth across the Nigeria university.
At the 16th convocation in 2023, Adeyemo urged new graduates to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation, and the university gave out three honorary doctorates.
The Lead City University of Ibadan awards two certificates to their graduates. The first is for their degree of study, and the second certificate is based on professional skills acquired on campus, such as tailoring or photography. Graduates can also receive a certificate from the university's Institute Of Personality Development.
Lead City University has collaborated with the Indian government to give scholarships to Indian students interested in engineering and technological innovation.
During the university's faculty lecture series in Ibadan in 2023, Adeyemo, alongside Olusola Ladokun, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, and Samuel Oluwalana, a faculty member at the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, College of Environmental Resources Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, issued a cautionary statement against the depletion of natural resources in the country and the danger it poses to humanity.
According to the EduRank 2025 university rankings, Lead City University is ranked:
The ranking is based on research output, citations, academic reputation and web presence.
Lead City University is recognised and accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the regulatory agency responsible for university education in Nigeria.
The university maintains collaborations with professional bodies and organisations to support research, academic training and professional development for students. These include partnerships with institutes such as:
These collaborations support curriculum development, certification opportunities and industry engagement for students and staff.
The university campus in Ibadan contains lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, student hostels and recreational facilities. The institution promotes student participation in extracurricular activities including student associations, sports competitions and community outreach programmes aimed at social development.