This paper is an exploratory study of the trajectory of university education in Nigeria from the colonial to post-colonial era. Universities in Nigeria started as Federal Government institutions until the 1979 Constitution gave the State Governments powers to establish universities. This opened the floodgate for establishment of more public universities in Nigeria. The approach adopted by the Federal Government in establishing universities in the 40s and 70s could be described as conservative and methodical. A strategy of special relationship that allows older universities to midwife newly established ones to ensure quality assurance. However, state universities created after 1979 took off without being nurtured by older universities. Since these universities are public universities, moderate tuition fees were charged. In fact Federal Universities are tuition free. There was the problem of access and this led to the licensing of private universities by the Federal Government. Unlike public universities in Nigeria, private universities charged exorbitant fees that are beyond the reach of an average student. Therefore problem of access remains unabated. With the downturn in the nation¡¯s economy, public universities became grossly underfunded. Coping strategies adopted by these public universities include floating of juicy academic programmes to shore up their internally generated revenue. This led to non-compliance of public universities with admission quota, leading to over enrolment. With gross underfunding and over enrolment quality assurance is constrained. The paper suggested ways of addressing these precarious challenges confronting these public universities in Nigeria.

universities, quality, public, private, Nigeria