That you have to first sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to qualify for admission into a higher institution of learning in Nigeria is a given. However, you still have to apply to each of the higher institutions you are considering. Separately.
The admission process in Nigeria is very fragmented and siloed, with each institution doing their own thing. This is unlike other countries where there are central and technology-driven platforms that enable intending students search for courses and institutions in one place and apply directly.
Three young men decided that such a central platform needs to exist in Nigeria. A few days ago, Oluwatobi Soyombo, Adetola Ibrahim and Aderounmu Babafemi pushed the first public version of 1Plify.com.
1Plify’s purpose is to make it easier for Nigerian students to apply for and process their admissions in much the same way that the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service does. A central online platform which if successful could become the one-stop center for intending students to make direct applications to tertiary institutions.
“With 1Plify, we are using technology to efficiently drive the university admission process for Nigerians, just like it obtains in the UK and China”, Oluwatobi says. “With just one profile, intending students can make multiple admission applications to local and international institutions directly via 1Plify. This eliminates the stress of filing multiple application forms for different universities. Also, for Institutions that charge for applications, students can make online payment directly on 1Plify”.
The 1Plify platform’s ambitions are not restricted to Nigeria however. Right out of the gate, the startup caters to students who want to study abroad. International applications via 1Plify are possible via agreements with higher institutions in France, UK, Cyprus and India. The founders say discussions are ongoing with various international schools, and that their sights are set on other countries like Malaysia, Dubai, Spain, Netherlands and the USA as well.
Here’s 1Plify’s current feature list –
- Accept Student applications (institutions)
- Generate admission letter (institutions)
- Print admission letter (student)
- Full access to student data (institutions)
- Accept online payment of admission form fee (institutions)
- Online payment of acceptance fee (students)
- Track application status (students)
- Receive and Respond to student enquiries (for institutions)
- Generate PDF Download of student data (for institutions)
- Automated cloud backup (both student and institutions)
- Full report and stats (e.g. Revenue from applications, views, etc.) (institution)
Using the platform is free for both applicants and the institutions. However, 1Plify will receive a commission from the institution for each student who enroll. 1Plify also gets a percentage of application fees from the institutions that require them.
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