Asian Research Journal of Current Science

Private university education has come to stay in Nigeria as part of the tertiary education system. Of course, there will be some difficulties, hence the need to examine the challenges and coping strategies for private universities management. Secondary data sources were used in this paper to support the opinion of the researchers. It was revealed that inadequate funding, decrease in enrollment, heavy reliance on part-time and visiting lecturers, increase in competition, corruption, mass closure of private universities, etc. were among the challenges facing private universities in Nigeria. Meanwhile, mergers among private universities, partnerships, diversification of income, and the introduction of online and distance learning programs, among others, were identified as coping strategies for resilient and sustainable private university management in Nigeria. It was concluded that private university education is highly needed and, despite the challenges facing them, they can still thrive and contribute to the development of the Nigerian education sector in particular and the economy in general.