A resource allocation model for admission into nigerian universities

There are numerous ways of admitting students into the University system in Nigeria. These methods include admission through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), part time programs, diploma programs and the pre-degree program. In recent times, applicants who seek admission into the University system through the pre-degree program but fail to meet the requirement of their preferred course of study are usually allocated an alternative course of study. This process is however usually done without considering the academic strength and ability of the applicant. Hence, the academic performance of the candidate in the alternative course of study is usually poor. This is because the candidate is usually not psychologically prepared for the alternative course of study. Consequently, this paper studies the existing process of admitting students into the University system in Nigeria through its pre-degree program. This is achieved by interviewing stakeholders in the admission process. This study considered ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria as its case study. The study also designed a framework that carefully allocates students into an alternative course of study by considering their academic strength and ability. This is with a view to assisting stakeholders in making effective decisions on alternative course allocation.