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BABCOCK UNIVERSITY (BU)—as it is now known—actually began on September 17, 1959 as Adventist College of West Africa (ACWA). Established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a senior college for training church workers from the West African sub-region, ACWA opened  its doors with only seven ministerial students.

By 1966, when it graduated  the first set of Bachelor of Arts degree holders in its own name, enrolment included students taking Business Administration as potential accountants within and outside the Church; and two-year Pre-Nursing students in preparation to pursue a nursing career at the Church’s School of Nursing at Ile-Ife, Osun State. History was made in 1975 when ACWA became the first institution in Nigeria to sign and operate an affiliation agreement with Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA. This relationship enabled it to award Bachelor of Arts degrees from Andrews University in Biology, Business Administration, History, Religion and Secretarial Studies.

The first batch of 1,006 students arrived on September 13, 1999 and their Matriculation Ceremony was presided over by the Visitor to the University, President of the General Conference and world leader of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from Washington, D.C, USA, Pastor/Professor Jan Paulsen, on January 28, 2000. The University commenced with three faculties (which later became Schools)—Faculty of Education and Humanities, Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, and Faculty of Science and Technology with eleven departments. The School of Law and Security Studies became the fourth School. The 7th graduation on June 07, 2009 marked the 50th Anniversary of the institution, and the 10th Anniversary of the university. The event attracted Federal and State dignitaries, as well as leaders from the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Being a pioneer private University in Nigeria since 1999, Babcock has continued this legacy of upholding a cutting-edge excellence in education. Babcock now has a postgraduate school which took off in the third quarter of 2010 and a medical school which took off in January 2012.