Tier 5 · government / missiongovernmentFederalboarding available
Per term: ₦15K–₦60K
Founded 1927
Queen's College, founded 1927 in Yaba, is the female counterpart to King's College and the second Federal Government College for girls in Nigeria. Nigerian curriculum. Federal Ministry of Education fees. Elite academic tradition — alumni include supreme court justices, ministers, and business leaders. Boarding tradition.
Fee breakdown
Tuition range
₦50.0K–180.0K
/yr · 2025/2026
Boarding fee
₦80.0K–180.0K
Estimated first-year total
₦360.0K
tuition + extras
L
Lagos.Cool Editorial
2 May 2026 · 2 min read
About this school — Queen's College Lagos
Queen's College Lagos, founded in 1927, is the female counterpart to King's College and one of the first two Federal Government Colleges established specifically for girls in Nigeria. The Yaba campus is smaller than KCL's at 30 acres, but the school's academic reputation is equal. Alumnae include supreme court justices, senators, cabinet ministers, and CEOs across the Nigerian and diaspora business elite. Where KCL trained boys for colonial administration, QC trained girls for a professional public life at a time when few Nigerian schools would. The federal fee structure has kept QC accessible for nearly a century, and the boarding tradition remains one of its defining features — the "QC girl" is a specific Lagos identity, marked by academic rigour, sports competitiveness, and a lifelong network.
Strengths & trade-offs
✓ Strengths
✓Founded 1927 (first Federal Government College for girls)
✓30-acre Yaba campus with restored 1927 assembly hall
✓Alumnae network of supreme court justices, senators, ministers, CEOs
✓Federal fees among lowest for elite girls schools
OxfordCambridgeLSEManchesterUCLTorontoMcGillMasterCard Foundation ScholarsUNILAGLASU
Admission process
QC admits into JS1 via the National Common Entrance Examination administered by NECO. Candidates must be Nigerian female citizens aged 10–12 on 1 September of the entry year. The Common Entrance is sat in April. QC takes the top decile of female Common Entrance scores nationally, with federal-quota allocations for state distribution. Post-exam screening interview at Yaba campus. Application fee is the standard NECO Common Entrance fee (~₦4,500). Admission letters issued in July; boarding places fill first.
Extracurriculars
NetballHockeyBasketballSwimmingAthleticsMusic ensemble + choirDebate societyDramaBible studyHome economicsCommunity service
Tuition is only part of the bill. Here's what families actually pay:
Boarding termly levy₦40,000–₦60,000/term
Uniform (day, house, sports)₦50,000–₦85,000
Books + WAEC entries₦40,000–₦120,000/yr
PTA + development levy₦20,000–₦40,000/yr
Old Girls Association subscription₦5,000/yr
House sports and cultural events₦15,000–₦25,000/yr
Campus & facilities
The 30-acre Yaba campus centres on the original 1927 assembly hall and colonial-era administrative block, extended over the decades with academic wings, three boarding houses (Kofoworola, Balogun, Ransome-Kuti), science laboratories, a chapel, art and home economics blocks, an athletics track, netball and hockey pitches, and a 25m swimming pool. Boarding is a core feature — approximately 65% of pupils board. The Sarah Idahosa Library holds one of the strongest secondary-school collections in the country. Power on grid + generator + solar; water from boreholes.
Yes — QC has been a girls-only school since its founding in 1927. This is central to its identity and its old-girls network. There is no plan to go co-educational.
Very. The Common Entrance cut-off for QC is in the top 5–10% of female scores nationally. Federal-quota state allocation adds complexity — pupils from over-subscribed states face steeper competition than those from federally-distributed quota states.
Traditional. Three houses share dormitories, communal bathrooms, prep halls, and dining rooms. Facilities are basic by international-school standards but well-maintained. Old girls consistently describe boarding as formative — the shared experience is the core of the network.
90%+ credit-pass rate is normal. Sciences are historically strong. The school produces WAEC national subject prizewinners regularly and its top decile places into Oxbridge, top US universities, McGill, and University of Toronto via scholarship.
Yes — one of the strongest in Nigeria. The QC Old Girls Association organises annual reunions, mentorship programmes, and scholarship funds for current students. Regional QC chapters exist in London, New York, Washington DC, and Toronto.