MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA.

Nigerian universities face a growing challenge. Students with internet access are consuming online content at high rates, yet the critical skills needed to translate that access into academic benefit remain underutilized. The pervasive digital information landscape of the 21st century requires strong Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skills for effective academic engagement among undergraduate students. This paper investigated the implications of MIL on the academic performance of undergraduate students at the University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, addressing a gap in understanding the interplay of how these competencies influence educational outcomes in a Nigerian tertiary setting. The paper adopted a descriptive survey design drawing on a stratified random sample of 364 undergraduate students drawn proportionately across six faculties from 300 and 400 levels. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of a validated ten-item MIL scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and simple linear regression. Results showed that students self-rated MIL competency at a moderate-to-high level (M = 3.55, SD = 0.59), with the weakest dimension being awareness of copyright and ethical issues in media use (M = 3.31). The Pearson correlation between MIL composite score and Average CGPA was not statistically significant, r(362) = –.073, p = .164, and MIL composite did not significantly predict CGPA in the regression model, F(1, 362) = 1.950, p = .164, R² = .005). The findings suggest that the relationship between MIL competency and academic performance is more complex than a direct linear effect, and is likely shaped by intervening factors including self-discipline, quality of digital engagement, and structural access to educational content. The study recommends the formal integration of MIL into the undergraduate curriculum at the faculty level as a matter of institutional priority.