The R7A gets you into Nigeria for school. The two-year permit comes after you land.
You need an admission letter, tuition already paid and six months of bank statements. Here's the file, the fees we could confirm and how Americans pay for a Nigerian degree, as of September 2026.
Admitted to a Nigerian university, or thinking about it? This is the visa that covers a full program, and the steps that turn it into a residence permit once you're there.
Who it's for
A full program at a Nigerian school, not a two-week visit
The R7A is Nigeria's visa for international students admitted to an accredited Nigerian institution. It sits in the Temporary Residence class, which allows up to two years at a time, renewable.
A short academic trip doesn't need it. The F7G study tour visa covers 30 days, single entry, and study tour and academic exchange visas are sold as e-visas.
The numbers we could confirm, September 2026
90 days
To use your R7A
can't be extended
2 years
Permit after you arrive
renewable
$600
Student CERPAC fee
workers pay $2,000
$60
VFS service fee
U.S. citizens, New York center
7 days
Average VFS processing
working days, longer if queried
$15
Overstay fine, per day
5-year ban after 3 months
The file
Six documents, and two must come from your school
This is the Nigeria Immigration Service list for the R7A. It doesn't publish a minimum bank balance or say what "required minimum tuition" means in naira, so ask your school's international office what it will certify. You'll also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Nigeria.
- A passport with at least six months of validity
- A passport-size photo
- An admission letter from an accredited Nigerian institution
- Proof the required minimum tuition is paid, by you or a sponsor
- A letter from the school accepting immigration responsibility for you
- Six months of bank statements, or proof of sponsorship
From admission letter to residence permit
Get admitted and pay
Pay the required tuition and ask the school for its immigration-responsibility letter before you apply.
Apply online
Fill in the R7A application on the Nigeria Immigration Service portal and pay the visa fee there.
Submit in person
Plan to give fingerprints. The Washington embassy takes no visa applications on Fridays, and VFS in New York charges U.S. citizens $60.
Enter and regularize
Arrive within 90 days, then apply for your CERPAC residence permit. The student fee is $600, for stays of a year or more.
Paying for it
Tuition is priced in naira. Federal aid is the harder part.
What school costs
The American University of Nigeria lists 2026/27 undergraduate tuition at about $1,908 a year (₦2,539,680), and about $2,488 (₦3,312,000) for engineering, nursing and law. A double room runs about $732 (₦975,000). Dollar figures use September 2026's official rate of about ₦1,331. Its fee page shows no separate rate for foreign students.
What U.S. aid covers
Pell Grants can't be used at any foreign school. Federal loans work only if the school is eligible, which you can check in the federal school search by country, and never for programs taught partly online. Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers on July 1, 2026, and most graduate programs now cap federal loans at $20,500 a year.
Grants for Nigeria
Fulbright's 2027-28 competition offers three open study and research awards for Nigeria, each 6 to 9 months.
Build slack into your calendar
Nigeria's education minister said in March 2026 that university lecturers held almost 52 strikes in 10 years, costing about 1,700 academic days. In September 2026, their union ASUU threatened another nationwide strike. Ask your school how it handled the last shutdown, and watch your permit dates if a semester runs long.
Safety
Where your campus sits matters as much as the program
The State Department rates Nigeria Level 3, Reconsider Travel (June 2026). Its Do Not Travel list includes Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and northern Adamawa, and it says it can offer only limited emergency help outside Abuja and Lagos.
That hits the school above: the American University of Nigeria is in Yola, Adamawa, and Fulbright currently won't place grantees there or at the University of Maiduguri, citing regional insecurity.
Help with health coverage and paying tuition
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
Hunter spent years in air medical transport and has lived abroad for more than two decades. In a one-hour session he pins down your healthcare concerns and a care plan for your destination.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
Expatsi's international health insurance partner. Their team matches you with a private plan to have in place before you fly.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
A currency and payments firm in business since 1979. Send dollars for a naira tuition bill, with the option to lock in an exchange rate.
Nigeria student visa questions
How much does a Nigerian student visa cost for a U.S. citizen?
The visa fee is shown when you pay on the Nigeria Immigration Service portal. A 2019 NIS schedule listed $160 for U.S. citizens, but we couldn't confirm the current amount. If you submit through VFS in New York, add a $60 service fee. After you arrive, the student CERPAC residence permit costs $600.
Can Americans apply for a Nigerian student visa online?
Partly. You fill in the application and pay the visa fee on the Nigeria Immigration Service portal, then submit your documents and fingerprints in person. The R7A isn't an e-visa: Nigeria's e-visa covers short stays such as study tours and academic exchanges, and long-stay visas still go through a Nigerian embassy or consulate.
Can I work in Nigeria on a student visa?
Only with approval. The Nigeria Immigration Service says R7A holders may work subject to approval. A spouse on the R7B visa can't work.
Can my spouse come with me on a Nigerian student visa?
Yes, on a separate visa. Spouses of international students apply for the R7B, the spouse of student visa, which doesn't allow employment.
How long does a Nigerian student visa take?
VFS reports an average of 7 working days for Nigerian visas, longer if an application is queried or referred to the authorities. Once issued, the R7A is valid for 90 days and can't be extended, so time it to your start date.
Can I use FAFSA at a Nigerian university?
Only for federal loans, and only if that school is approved. Pell Grants and other federal grants can't be used at foreign schools, and programs taught partly online don't qualify. Check the school in the federal school search by country. Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers on July 1, 2026.
What happens if I overstay a Nigerian student visa?
Nigeria charges $15 for each day past your permitted stay. Overstaying three months brings a five-year ban, and overstaying a year or more brings a ten-year ban.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine to study in Nigeria?
Yes. The State Department lists yellow fever vaccination as required to enter Nigeria, so carry your certificate when you fly.
Other ways to live in Nigeria
Nigeria's work permit: your employer files first, and your share starts around $3,150
How the R2A visa and e-CERPAC work for Americans hired by a Nigerian company, what the 2025 reforms changed, and the rules that tie you to one employer. Checked September 2026.
Weighing Nigeria against other places to study?
Take the free Expatsi Test to compare countries on cost, healthcare, safety and climate before you commit to a program.
Why not you?