Trending 
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has introduced stricter rules for awarding honorary degrees, including a ban on recipients using the “Dr.” title.
The directive aims to curb the abuse of honorary awards, which the Commission says has devalued genuine academic distinctions.
Under the new guidelines, only universities that have graduated their first PhD cohort can confer honorary degrees, effectively excluding newer institutions.
Recipients of honorary degrees must not use “Dr.” before their names.
Instead, they should use post-nominal titles like D.Sc (H.C) — Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa). The Commission notedthat the “Dr.” title is reserved for earned doctoral degrees or certified medical practitioners.
NUC also prohibited financial inducements in awarding honorary degrees, insisting that honours must be based solely on merit and given free of charge.
To promote moderation, universities may award no more than three honorary degrees per convocation. Self-nominated candidates and serving public officials, whether elected or appointed, are barred from receiving such honours.
Institutions must publish recipients’ names on their official websites and establish procedures for revoking honours from individuals later found guilty of misconduct.
NUC clarified that honorary degrees do not confer academic or professional privileges, including the right to practice regulated professions, supervise research, or hold administrative university positions.
It also threatened to impose regulatory penalties on universities that disregarded the new regulations.
The reforms are part of broader efforts to protect the integrity and global reputation of Nigeria’s university system, according to NUC, which stresses that academic honours must reflect merit, dignity, and excellence.
