Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, is set to graduate 1,443 students at its 21st convocation, with four students from its Nutrition and Dietetics Programme securing employment offers following their industrial training.
Professor Jonathan Babalola, the Vice-Chancellor, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing ahead of the university’s 21st convocation ceremonies scheduled for November 4 to 7, 2026.
Babalola said the employment offers, which would take effect after the students complete their National Youth Service Corps programme, demonstrated the impact of the university’s emphasis on practical training and the alignment of academic programmes with workplace requirements.
He said, “I am particularly pleased to report that our emphasis on practical training is yielding tangible results. During the 2026 Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme, six students received formal commendations for exceptional performance at their places of industrial attachment, and significantly, four students from our Nutrition and Dietetics Programme received employment offers scheduled to commence after their National Youth Service Corps programme.”
The Vice-Chancellor added that the university’s 2026 graduating class comprised 1,345 undergraduates and 98 postgraduate students, including 218 first-class graduates.
According to the breakdown, 657 undergraduates obtained Second Class Honours, Upper Division, 315 earned Second Class Honours, Lower Division, 66 graduated with Third Class and three obtained Pass degrees.
The postgraduate graduands comprise 13 PhD holders, one Master of Philosophy graduate, eight MBA graduates, 68 other master’s degree holders and eight postgraduate diploma recipients.
Babalola said, “With the addition of the Class of 2026, the total number of graduates produced by Bowen University since our inaugural Convocation in 2006 will rise to 20,177. From 383 pioneer graduates twenty years ago to more than twenty thousand alumni today, the Bowen story is one of remarkable institutional growth and an enduring commitment to raising graduates of competence, character and purpose.”
On academic quality assurance, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that all eight programmes presented for accreditation by the National Universities Commission secured full accreditation status.
On research performance, Babalola said, ” in the latest edition of the AD Scientific Index, Bowen was ranked 3,441st globally out of 19,681 institutions, 161st in Africa out of 1,484 institutions, and 24th in Nigeria out of 359 institutions. The University had 334 researchers listed in the index, reflecting the growing breadth of scholarly activity across our academic programmes.”
He further disclosed that five of the university’s academics had maintained their presence among the world’s top two per cent of scientists in the Stanford University/Elsevier global research rankings for the seventh consecutive year.
The Vice-Chancellor said, “Bowen’s sustained presence among the world’s leading researchers is a testament to the strength of our academic community and the growing international impact of our scholarship. These achievements are particularly remarkable for a relatively young private university like ours, demonstrating that global research excellence is not the exclusive preserve of older or larger institutions but rather, the product of intellectual rigour, dedicated scholarship and a deliberate commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation.”
He also disclosed that 11 members of the university’s academic community were recognised among the top 500 authors in Nigeria in the Scopus/SciVal rankings covering 2022 to 2026.
Babalola further said that the university presented 319 health professionals for induction into their respective professional bodies during the period under review, comprising 86 medical doctors, 119 nurses, 71 physiotherapists and 43 medical laboratory scientists.
At the convocation, the university will confer honorary Doctor of Science degrees on Engineer Adeleye Omobolaji Falade, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria LNG Limited, and Engineer Adegbite Olanrewaju Falade, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aradel Holdings Plc.
The Vice-Chancellor said the two industry leaders were being recognised for their contributions to professional excellence, institutional development, philanthropy and service to humanity, including their donation of the George and Racheal Falade Memorial Hospital on the university’s Iwo campus and the recently completed isolation wing.
The convocation lecture will be delivered by Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First E&P Limited, Nigeria’s Governor to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Chairman of the OPEC Board of Governors.
