The University of Ibadan (UI) has introduced a new certificate collection regime that could see unclaimed academic certificates shredded after 10 years, while graduates who delay collection will face escalating financial penalties.
The new rules are contained in a special bulletin dated September 15, 2026, and signed by the university’s Registrar, Mr Ganiyu Saliu.
Under the arrangement, graduates must collect their Statements of Result within six months after receiving notification that the documents are ready. Those who miss the six-month window will pay a non-collection penalty of N2,500 before the statement is released.
UI also stipulated a two-year validity period for Statements of Result, calculated from their respective dates of issuance. The documents will serve as temporary evidence of graduation while graduates complete the process of obtaining their certificates.
The university clarified that a Statement of Result does not replace a certificate. It described the certificate as the institution’s official and permanent proof of a graduate’s academic qualification.
Graduates are therefore expected to obtain their certificates within the two-year validity period attached to their Statements of Result.
For certificates, the university has created a graduated penalty structure based on how long a graduate waits after the initial collection period.
Certificates will be available from the date of convocation until one year afterwards, with graduates required to pay a statutory N7,500 fee for issuance and collection during that period.
Those who fail to collect their certificates within the first year will incur additional charges. Collection after one year but within five years will attract a N25,000 non-collection penalty.
The charge rises to N50,000 for certificates collected after five years but within 10 years.
The university, however, drew the clearest line at the 10-year mark. Certificates that have not been collected beyond that period will be liable to shredding, meaning graduates could ultimately lose access to the original documents issued to them by the institution.
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UI further made a distinction between the statutory certificate fee and the penalties arising from delayed collection. The N7,500 issuance and collection charge is separate from the additional sums imposed for failure to collect within the prescribed periods.
The new framework effectively places a financial and administrative deadline on graduates, requiring them to keep track of notifications and complete the collection process promptly.
The institution called the attention of graduates and other stakeholders to the revised requirements, stressing the need to comply with the timelines to avoid accumulating penalties or risking the loss of unclaimed certificates.
The policy places particular importance on certificates that have been left unattended for several years, as the university has now attached a definite consequence to prolonged non-collection.
