No fewer than 83 students of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Osun State, are set to graduate with first-class honours as the institution prepares to confer degrees on 1,043 graduands at its 17th convocation ceremony on Friday.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, disclosed this on Monday while announcing activities for the university’s convocation and 20th anniversary celebrations.

According to him, the graduating class comprises 897 first-degree recipients and 146 postgraduate students, including 22 doctoral degree holders.

Of the first-degree graduates, 429 will receive Second Class Upper honours, while 301 will graduate with Second Class Lower degrees. Another 74 students will receive Third Class degrees, while 10 will graduate with pass degrees.

The postgraduate category comprises 94 recipients of academic master’s degrees, 27 Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduates, 22 PhD holders and three postgraduate diploma recipients.

JABU records 10,448 undergraduate graduates in 20 years

The forthcoming convocation also marks two decades of the university’s operations, during which it has awarded 10,448 undergraduate degrees.

Fakolujo said the institution began with a pioneer matriculating class of 246 students in February 2007 and had since expanded its contribution to higher education.

He disclosed that the university’s undergraduate alumni include 426 first-class graduates, 3,730 Second Class Upper recipients, 4,928 Second Class Lower graduates, 1,336 Third Class graduates and 28 recipients of pass degrees.

The institution has also awarded more than 800 postgraduate degrees and qualifications, according to the vice-chancellor.

Fakolujo said JABU graduates were making contributions across business, research, academia, public service, technology and finance.

Nursing, medical laboratory students record 100% success

The vice-chancellor also highlighted the performance of the university’s students in professional examinations, citing their results as evidence of the institution’s academic preparation.

He said Medical Laboratory Science students recorded a 100 per cent success rate in their 2026 professional examinations for the third consecutive year.

Nursing Science students also achieved a 100 per cent success rate in the 2026 registered midwife professional examination.

He added that JABU’s law graduates had continued to distinguish themselves at the Nigerian Law School, with five graduates earning first-class honours in 2024 and three achieving the distinction in each of 2025 and 2026.

The university’s 17th convocation ceremony will bring together this year’s graduands as the institution marks its 20th anniversary, with the 1,043 students representing its latest graduating cohort.