The National Open University of Nigeria has matriculated 25,517 new students across its study centres nationwide, with the vice chancellor urging the fresh intake to pursue excellence and reject mediocrity in their academic journey.

The 30th matriculation ceremony was conducted virtually, with the university's Registrar, Mr Oladipo Ajayi, administering the matriculation oath to students via the Zoom platform. Ajayi urged them to abide by all university rules and regulations to avoid expulsion.

Vice Chancellor Professor Uduma Oji Uduma addressed the new students directly, challenging them to reframe their perception of distance learning. "Wear this identity with confidence. You are not disadvantaged; you are strategically positioned. You are not secondary participants in the educational system; you are pioneers of its evolution. While others struggle to adapt to this model, you are already being shaped by it," he stated.

Uduma also affirmed that Open Distance Learning had moved beyond comparisons with conventional education. "ODL is not only equal and proven; it is now setting the direction for the future of education globally," he declared.

The vice chancellor further stressed the university's founding philosophy. "NOUN stands on a simple but radical philosophical foundation that education is not a privilege reserved for the few, but a right that must be extended to all. Here, the boundaries that once defined who could learn and who could not are deliberately dismantled. Here, opportunity is not rationed; it is expanded," he noted.

Of the 25,517 matriculated students, 19,149 are undergraduates, 2,194 are enrolled in Postgraduate Diploma programmes, and 4,107 are pursuing Master's degrees. An additional 20 students were admitted for M.Phil programmes, while 47 were admitted as doctoral candidates.

By faculty, Management Sciences leads enrolment with 7,519 students, followed by Social Sciences with 5,933, Computing with 3,710, Education with 3,526, Health Sciences with 3,046, Science with 759, Arts with 704, Agricultural Sciences with 302, and Law with 18.

Uduma reaffirmed the university's commitment to serving diverse populations, including workers, rural dwellers, and inmates in correctional centres, describing access to education as central to NOUN's mandate.