The management of the University of Ibadan (UI) at the weekend said it offered about 5,000 candidates admission out of 15,000 who applied for various postgraduate degree programmes in the institution.
The management said its PG School had been designated a Centre of Excellence for postgraduate studies.
It said more candidates preferred to pursued their graduate degrees at UI.
UI’s Dean of Postgraduate School, Prof Jonathan Babalola, spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after presiding over the university’s 73rd interdisciplinary research discourse, titled: Synthetic Biology: From Biology to Engineering, delivered by Prof James Sturgis of the Aix-Marseille University in France.
Babalola said the PG School had continued to ensure quality control of its applicants by setting aptitude test (Use of English), which he said majority of the applicants failed.According to him, many are looking up to UI to crown their undergraduate degrees.
The dean said the institution would continue to maintain standards and quality so that the best applicants gain admission to the premier university.
Sturgis advised universities and government at all levels in Nigeria to invest in Synthetic Biology to improve crops, livestock and health of the citizenry.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Idowu Olayinka, who was the chairman at the lecture, promised that UI would partner Aix-Marseille University to develop Synthetic Biology.