Nigerian first class more rigorous than UK, us distinction claims and academic

A Nigerian scholar, Ugochukwu Madu, has sparked online debate after asserting that earning a First Class degree from a Nigerian public university is significantly more difficult than earning a Distinction from universities abroad.

In a post shared on social media, Madu, who holds both a First-Class degree from a Nigerian public university and a Distinction from a U.S. institution, stated that comparisons between the two academic honours are misleading and unfair to Nigerian graduates.

“A Distinction abroad isn’t as rigorous as a Nigerian First Class. And I’m making this claim as someone who holds both a First-Class degree from a Nigerian public university and a Distinction from a U.S. public institution,” he wrote.

According to him, his master’s degree was awarded with Distinction, and he completed his PhD coursework with a perfect 4.00/4.00 GPA at an R1-ranked U.S. university.

Madu argued that the disparity in academic standards and grading systems makes the Nigerian First Class significantly more exclusive.

He cited statistics from Ebonyi State University (EBSU), where only six out of 1,924 students in the Class of 2019 earned a First Class degree across all campuses.

“Fact-check me. Ebonyi State University, 2019. Only six,” he emphasized.

In contrast, he noted, many universities in Europe and North America confer Distinctions on hundreds or even thousands of students during each graduation cycle.

“There’s no European or American university where only six students earn a Distinction at an annual graduation ceremony. None! They’re usually in the hundreds, if not thousands, every single semester.”

The post has drawn mixed reactions online, with some users agreeing with his position, while others argue that academic systems should not be compared without context, given the differences in curriculum, evaluation style, and institutional goals.