The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
It is located about 30 (Because of the bad road) minutes drive from the centre of the city of Ado-Ekiti in Western Nigeria.
University of Ado-Ekiti, as it is known today was at inception in 1982 known as Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and it prides itself as the only University in Nigeria that has within a quarter of a century had its name changed three times. The name was changed to Ondo State University in 1985 and to its present name of University of Ado-Ekiti in November 1999.
The university hosts one of the most talented professors in Nigeria as Ekiti State is known for its heritage of educated professors.
On January 14, 1981, during the launching of the fourth National Development Plan, late Chief Ajasin announced the intention of the Ondo State government to establish a Multi-Campus University in the state and as a follow up a 16 member planning committee was set up to advise the government on it.
The exercise led to the appointment of Prof. I.O. Oladapo as the First Vice-Chancellor of the University on February 19, 1982 while the composition of the first council headed by the late Chief B.A. Ajayi was also announced same day. The council was formally inaugurated at the City Hall , Ado-Ekiti on March 31, 1982 and it was decided that March 30 each year will be observed as the University Founded Day.
The University started off in a modest way from an old catering Rest House in Akure and moved to a temporary site in Ado-Ekiti where lectures started soon after with 136 students spread in the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Sciences while during the 1983/84 session, new courses where established to strengthen the existing faculties and they were Geology, Biology, Chemistry, French, Yoruba Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Political Science and Psychology.
A fourth Faculty – Faculty of Education was established and the student population increased to 724 in 1983/84 session.
Although the University was conceived as a multi-campus institution, the idea was jettisoned due to the poor financial situation in the state and the country, making the development of the institution to be concentrated in Ado-Ekiti.
In the 1985/86 session, the Faculty of Engineering with three initial Departments of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical and a Department of Banking and Finance while the Faculty of Law was established during the 1991/92 session and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences was established in 2001, bringing the Faculties to eight and the student population of 10,000.
In the last 25years, some of the philanthropists who made significant contributions to the physical development of the University include Dr. Lawrence Omolayo who donated the administrative block consisting of 271 offices, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), fully furnished 350 seater Lecture Theatre, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, 400 seater Lecture Theatre, Ado-Ekiti Community and administrative block for the Faculty of Law.
The Education Trust Fund (ETF) constructed 1,200–seater, 750, 1050–seater Lecture Theatres, new Library Complex, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences office complex, new Faculties of Social Sciences, Arts and Education offices.
A large number of the programmes of the University now enjoy full accreditation while some enjoy interim accreditation. The University has joined the computer age as almost all its academic activities are now done on-line.
A private company has recently established in the University an Information Technology Centre (ITC) with 125 computers and a capacity to increase to 250 and the centre runs for 24hours daily with an uninterrupted power supply.
The council of the University recently set-up an endowment fund for indigent but brilliant student with an initial contribution of N1million pointing out that the problem of indigency has become real in the University because of the poor Economic situation of many parents and the rising cost of University education.
Besides the College of Medicine, there are now eight other faculties: Arts, Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Management Sciences, Engineering, Education, Law, and Social Sciences.
The University has residential and sports facilities for staff and students on Campus.
Faculties
* Agricultural Science
* Arts
* Education
* Engineering
* Law
* Management Science
* Science
* Social Sciences
* college of medicine
Units
* The Sports Centre
* The Library
* The ICT Centre
* The University Press
* The Botanical Garden
* The University Farm
* The University Health Services
Halls of Residence
The University is primarily residential with Halls of residence for both male & female students. There is also provision for accommodation of post-graduate students, the halls are listed below:
* Omolayo Hostel (Mixed)
* Satellite Hostel (Mixed)
* Ajasin hostel (Female)
* Osekita Hostel (Mixed)
* State Government Hostel (Mixed)
