Most universities have long recognised the importance and contribution of on-campus hostels to the learning process. In so doing, most of these institutions have provided and maintained building facilities for academic purposes (teaching and research). Hostels are integral components of most campuses of Nigerian universities, and they are part of the built assets of the institutions in terms of both administration and maintenance management. Currently, there is little understanding of the maintenance management systems of on-campus hostel buildings in both the public and the private universities. Moreover, there is a dearth of research evidence demonstrating that there is an appreciable difference in the maintenance management systems of the Federal, State and private universities in Nigeria. This research aimed at establishing an understanding of maintenance management systems of on-campus hostel buildings at Nigerian universities owned by the Federal and State governments and the Private Sector, relative to stipulated criteria for best practice.The qualitative method of research inquiry that is rooted in the phenomenological paradigm was employed in the investigations. The research activities included a comprehensive review of the related literature and study of selected cases. The North-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria was the selected geographical scope of this research. Ten universities were purposefully selected for the study, and they include three Federal, four state and three private universities. The nature and differences in the research questions necessitated generating different forms of data. The questions that were related to the maintenance management systems for the hostels in place at the universities were addressed with the outcomes of interviews with the hostel managers. The questions that were about the structures and current conditions of the hostel buildings at the three categories of universities were addressed with data that were generated from condition assessments of the facilities and physical observations with the aid of cameras. The study reveals apparent deteriorated and unhealthy conditions of most of the on-campus hostels at the public universities, while those of the private universities are satisfactory. The research also found that the maintenance management systems in use at all the universities are reactive and lack proper planning and coordination of maintenance activities. There is no significant difference in the maintenance management systems of hostels at the public and the private universities and the systems have major negative impact on the conditions of the buildings and their performances. The research has developed a conceptual model for the study of maintenance management informed by the theoretical framework. The model considered the impact of the external environmental factors on the management and maintenance of the hostels. Secondly, the interrelationships of strategic and performance management with maintenance management in developing an effective maintenance management system were established. The study has achieved its aim of establishing an understanding of maintenance management systems of on-campus hostel buildings at Nigerian universities owned by the Federal and, State governments and the Private Sector. The maintenance management model developed in the study is recommended to maintenance management departments as a guide for effective maintenance of the built facilities in their institutions.