The study sought to highlight the impact of fees’ increase on university students and their programmes in Nigeria. Fees’ increase has serious implications for educational enterprise across the globe, especially in developing countries at the turn of the 21st century. At the inception of universities the regional governments ploughed money into the universities. Government gave scholarships, grants and subsidies to students. Many university lecturers were sponsored overseas for training in scholarly productivity. Unfortunately the military rule in relation to IMF ushered in the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), removal of subsidies, scholarships and grants, debt burden, and globalisation forces triggered serious problems that have sweeping implications for university education. Crucial issues like education, health, environmental management and others were neglected as a result of debt repayment. Findings revealed that removal of scholarships, subsidies and grants, and globalisation forces, triggered negative consequences such as violent demonstrations, open and close syndrome, decrease in enrolment, increase in drop-out rate, students’ exposure to off-campus residence and attendant unsettling non-conducive environment for effective and serious academic activities that could have launched Nigeria into the 21st Century global knowledge economy. The study recommends the adoption of Unesco”s 26% bench-mark for education.

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