Clifford University (CLIFU)

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) is a federal university of agriculture established by Decree No. 48 of 2 November 1992 and named in honour of Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, Premier of the old Eastern Region of Nigeria from 1959 to 1966. Located in Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State, MOUAU is one of three federal universities of agriculture in Nigeria. The university is dedicated to teaching, research, and community service in agriculture and related sciences. MOUAU operates 13 colleges and schools spread across its main Umudike campus and affiliated centres, and consistently ranks among the leading agricultural universities in Nigeria and West Africa. It is fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the relevant professional regulatory bodies.

Amadeus University, Amizi is a private university located in Amizi community, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State. Founded by Dr. Godwin Nwabunka, the university was licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2023 as one of 37 new private universities approved in that year. In 2025/2026, NUC approved additional professional programmes including Law, Medicine and Surgery, and Pharmacy, expanding the university's scope significantly. The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has also approved the university's Engineering programmes. Amadeus University is one of the newest universities in Abia State and in Nigeria, and is building its reputation as a comprehensive private institution in the emerging Ikwuano corridor of Abia State.

Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) is a private Catholic university established in 2012 with approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The university is located in Uturu, Abia State — the same university town that hosts Abia State University — and is named after Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great), the 6th-century pope renowned for his scholarship and pastoral mission. GUU is owned and operated by the Marist Brothers of the Schools, a Catholic religious congregation with a long tradition of educational mission in Nigeria and worldwide. The university offers programmes across medicine, law, engineering, agriculture, sciences, humanities and management across eight colleges. GUU is known for its strong focus on discipline, character formation and Catholic intellectual tradition.

Lux Mundi University is a private Catholic university established by the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Located in Umuahia, the state capital of Abia State, the university is named after the Latin phrase "Lux Mundi" meaning "Light of the World" — a title associated with Christ in the Catholic tradition and the theme of Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical. The university is part of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia's effort to provide university education rooted in Catholic intellectual tradition to the people of Abia State and the wider southeast. Lux Mundi University offers programmes in sciences, social sciences, management, humanities and theology.

Nigerian British University (NBU) is a private university owned and operated by the Adorable Foundation for Educational Development (AFED), licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2022. Located in Asa, Ukwa West LGA, Abia State, the university was officially commissioned by former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in February 2023. NBU was established with the mission of combining Nigerian and British academic standards to produce graduates who are internationally competitive. The university is among the newest NUC-licensed private universities in southeastern Nigeria and offers programmes in law, computing and information technology, and management sciences.

Spiritan University, Nneochi is a private Catholic university owned and operated by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans/CSSp), an international Catholic missionary congregation. Licensed by the NUC in 2016, the university is located in Nneochi, Ohafia LGA, in the northern part of Abia State. The Spiritans have a long tradition of educational mission in Nigeria, having established many of the country's foremost secondary schools. Spiritan University continues this tradition at the tertiary level, offering programmes in sciences, social sciences, management and arts within a Catholic academic community committed to faith, scholarship and social justice.