Nasarawa state is considered one of the Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS) in Nigeria. As one of the
policy instruments for overcoming the problem of educational backwardness, the state government established its own university
in 2001 amidst skepticism and cynicism. Therefore this study sought to investigate the nature of response of the indigenes to the
idea of university. The opinion survey design was used in the study. The study was State wide and covered all indigenes of
Nasarawa State that were resident within the geographical boundaries of the state. A representative sample of 114 respondents
was selected from the universe using scientific procedures. The main research finding is that the receptivity of university idea
amongst the indigenes of Nasarawa state is high. To further foster the receptivity of university idea amongst the indigenes, a
number of recommendations were advanced and these included: the establishment of the university’s alumni association,
introduction of the open and distance mode of educational delivery, and that the facilities and programmes in the university
should be expanded.