Purpose: The study aims to investigate the use of cybercafe for internet access by students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: Using descriptive design, 382 copies of a structured questionnaire were administered to students of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, who were using the institution cybercafe as at the time of the study. Findings: The findings revealed that 75 percent of the male students make use of the cybercafe compared with their female colleagues, while the majority strongly agreed that they use it for research purposes. Google and Yahoo were the leading search engines used to explore resources, while the students acquired internet search knowledge and skills through teaching themselves followed by computer training programmes. It was also discovered that irregular electricity supply was the leading problem faced while using the cybercafe by the students, among others. Originality/value: The paper contains an extensive study on the use of cybercafe in an academic environment in Nigeria, which will help in improving the internet access of students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. (Contains 7 tables.)