My marketing eyes were turned to Private University Education in Nigeria serendipitously. Last year, the leadership/ownership of two Private Universities got in touch with us seeking support in driving their Marketing and Freshmen Enrollment efforts.
Until then, I had not shown any interest nor paid attention to the marketing issues facing Private Universities in Nigeria (and indeed the Education Sector) … and they are legion! Less than 7 of Nigeria’s 80 Private Universities get enough JAMB 1st choice pick to fill their admission quotas. Most get less than 10%. In 2018, Universities had 538,269 admission slots (combined) of which 119,878 went unused. Most of these 119,878 spaces where in Private Universities. At current enrollment levels, more than 50% of Nigeria’s Private Universities will not exist by 2030.
In 2018, Universities had 538,269 admission slots (combined) of which 119,878 went unused. Most of these 119,878 spaces where in Private Universities. At current enrollment levels, more than 50% of Nigeria’s Private Universities will not exist by 2030.
Our research team conducted an in-depth study of Marketing, Branding and Enrollment of Private Universities in Nigeria, and identified key Marketing and Enrollment issues that Private Universities are grappling with.
Let me start with the elephant in the room!
Is High Fees/Cost a key issue? Prima-facie, high Fees/cost seem to be a major issue. Truth, though, is, well dimensionalised, high fees/cost is not necessarily an issue. Nigerian parents spend more than N1Trillion annually sending their children to Universities abroad. The average cost of schooling in the UK/USA/Canada is N15Million per annum. There are more than 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghanaian Universities each spending between N4Million to N5Million per annum. Elite Private Primary/Secondary (K-12) Schools in Nigeria charge more than N2Million per annum for tuition… and are filled every academic session.
Of course, the issue is not that Nigerians are going abroad because Nigerian Universities are filled up as demonstrated by (more than 100,000) unfilled spaces in Private Universities.
There are more than 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghanaian Universities each spending between N4 Million to N5Million per annum. Elite Private Primary/Secondary (K-12) Schools in Nigeria charge more than N2Million per annum for tuition… and are filled every academic session
So, what are the top issues our research identified?
- The issue of Perception
- The issue of Competition
- The issue of Awareness and Salience
- Legacy issues versus client expectations
- The issue of differentiation and distinctiveness
The issue of Perception: There is a subsisting perception that, bar 3 or 4 that have forced their way into renown, Private Universities are inferior in learning and output to Public Universities. 90% of students who attend Private Universities do so only after they have failed to gain admission to (especially) Federal and State Universities. Considering that Public University Education in Nigeria is not quite smelling like roses, then you will understand why Parents prefer to spend more to send their Children to Universities in even other West African Countries. There are more than enough people who can afford to pay the fees. They don’t just see why they should!
The issue of Competition: There are 80 Private Universities in Nigeria and very many more will be established. West African Universities are beginning to target and entice Nigerian Students. There are now English-speaking Universities in French Speaking West African Countries targeting Nigerian students. There are now more Nigerians than Beninese in some Universities in the Republic of Benin. Most Nigerian private universities are not equipped to deal with this level, type and intensity of Competition.
The issue of Awareness and Salience: The awareness level of 80% of Private Universities is statistically zero; that is, awareness at the level of basic knowledge of existence. It is worse at the level of true awareness – knowing that you exist, why you exist and what you can do for me in a differentiated and apposite way. In our research, attempts to build awareness are knee jerk, half-hearted, staccato, misdirected, uninformed and unsustained. So, very few Private Universities get to the point of Salience… where candidates consider them within the mix of University options that they will chose from. Put starkly, most Private Nigerian Universities are not even within the frame of reference when University choice is being made.
Legacy Culture issues versus Client Expectations: Most Nigerian Private Universities are run like and have the culture and practices of Public Universities. Absence of student-centredness and little or no attention to customer service. Infrastructure and service in some cases is worse than in Public Schools. For example, in some Private Universities that we studied, students have up to 10 registration touch-points on resumption and spend days (in some cases, weeks) to complete the process! This is a legacy issue because of the recency of Private Universities in Nigeria; and the prevalent culture is that bequeathed by Public Universities. However, Parents and students who are paying so much more, also expect so much more. This is the secret and lesson that elite private K-12 schools in Nigeria have learnt… and that Private Universities must learn.
The issue of Differentiation and Distinctiveness: Our research show that only 5 (6%) of Private Universities in Nigeria could be called Brands… that is, they are differentiated in a meaningful and relevant way; students chose them “by preference”. Most other Universities are just another University… if they are even worthy of that name. Students and their parents are not given any reason to choose the University. The bland and jaded differentiator that all Private Universities hack to is “no ASUU strike/You know when you will graduate”. The good news for Private Universities is that our research also reveal that more than 50% Nigeria’s Private Universities have relevant beachheads on which they can start meaningful brand building.
Huge as these issues may be, and deep as the hole that most private Universities are in, through our research and our work, we know that they are not insurmountable.
Huge as these issues may be, and deep as the hole that most Nigerian Private Universities are in, through our research and our work, we know that they are not insurmountable. We suggest that Private Universities will need to start with some “brute force” marketing to boost enrollment and to buy themselves time (for example, using Brute Force Marketing, we increased a client’s enrollment by 25% within 4 months). Then Private Universities must develop a 3 – 5-year Strategic Marketing, Branding, Enrollment and Retention Plan… which though a living plan (so it adjusts to outcomes and new insights and information), must be implemented rigorously with set and tracked KPIs. No Knee jerk, no half-baked and nothing perfunctory. And the time to start is Now!
Solomon Itegboje, is the Managing Partner of LBH Educational Consulting (www.lbh-consulting.com) that supports Private Universities to grow enrolment and build their brands. In his former life, he was Country Director of Marketing for Coca-Cola Hellenic. He can be reached on sitegboje@lbh-consulting.com