The National Universities Commission (NUC) has introduced new guidelines regulating the award of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities, in a move aimed at curbing what it described as indiscriminate conferment and protecting the integrity of academic honours.

Under the revised rules, only universities that have graduated their first set of PhD students will be eligible to award honorary degrees. The commission said the measure is intended to ensure that only academically mature institutions confer such distinctions.

The NUC also directed that recipients of honorary degrees must not prefix their names with the title “Dr.” Instead, they are to use appropriate post-nominal designations such as Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) — D.Sc (H.C). It stressed that the “Dr.” title remains reserved for holders of earned academic doctorates and qualified medical professionals.

In addition, the commission prohibited any form of payment or financial expectation from recipients, insisting that honorary degrees must be awarded strictly on merit and free of charge.

To further regulate the process, universities are now limited to a maximum of three honorary degrees per convocation ceremony.

The guidelines also bar self-nominated individuals and serving elected or appointed public officials from receiving honorary degrees.

As part of transparency measures, universities are required to publish the names of recipients on their official websites and establish clear revocation procedures for withdrawing awards from individuals later found guilty of fraud or unethical conduct.

The NUC clarified that honorary degrees do not confer professional privileges, including the right to practise in regulated professions, supervise academic research, or hold administrative positions within universities.

The commission warned that compliance with the new rules is mandatory and that institutions violating them risk regulatory sanctions. It added that the measures form part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the credibility and global reputation of Nigeria’s university system.