In the formative years 1947 to 1956, the then University College, Ibadan (UCI) envisaged in the majority and minority report of the Elliot Commission and whose development was assisted by the work of the Asquith Commission came into being shortly after World war II. Then the first two Principals, an entomologist Kenneth Mellamby (1947 - 1953) and a zoologist John Tennant Saunders (1953 to 1956) were tasked with the pioneering obligation of establishing a standard higher institution of learning at the Premier University.

The 1^st batch of students began their courses in UCI on 18^th January, 1948 while C. T. Hoskyns  Abrahall, the chief commissioner for the Western Provinces, formally open the University College, Ibadan on the 25^th March, 1948. The University College, Ibadan (UCI started of with four Faculties namely; Arts, Science, Agriculture and Medicine and University college Hospital was opened in October, 1957. At the end of the first decade of existence, UCI had a total student population of less than 3,000. Thus conceived of as a residential College the first four halls of residence are Mellamby, Tedder, Kuti and what was then simply called Womens Hall (now Sultan Bello Hall) had been completed and occupied there was then a need for expansion.

However between 1957- 1962 UCI experienced a lot of improvement. In 1958, Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike, Professor of History since 1956, became vice Chancellor, and was appointed the first Nigeria Chancellor in 1960. It was also in 1960 that Mr. N.K. Adamolekun was appointed registrar, having been Deputy Registrar since 1958. Indeed one of the Professor Dikes greatest services to University College, Ibadan and to Nigeria was his identification of brilliant Nigerian scholars whom he promoted rapidly to policy-making position in both academic and administrative departments. As the staff was Nigerianized, so the courses offered began to take on a more decidedly Nigerian and African line. In October 1962 the independent University, of Ibadan was born. Perhaps even more significant was the great emphasis that Dike placed on postgraduate training at Ibadan. Ibadan produced her first PhD in 1964, and ever since that date has continued to lead the field in the production of Masters and PhD graduates, whether the nation acknowledges the fact or not. He himself founded and directed the Institute of African Studies established in 1962.

 Lately, numerous achievements have being recorded in the University of Ibadan (UI) with improvement in the delivery in pursuit of an international standard. The Independent University of Ibadan in the past three decades increased the number of students being trained to meet up with the demand in Nigeria and being the leading university others higher institutions rely on UI for staffs. From 1990, different innovations have being adopted in the academic administration and efforts are being made to maintain and even improve on the available facilities. However, research activities and the overall output of this noble institution in being mired by poor power supply, insufficient funding