The University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), located in Ondo City, Ondo State, is Nigeria’s first specialized medical university and the third of its kind in Africa. Because the institution exists specifically to train medical and allied health professionals, its Medicine and Surgery programme carries the highest tuition on its entire fee schedule, well above every other course the university runs. This article sets out what a student in Medicine and Surgery at UNIMED pays for the 2026/2027 session, how the fee is structured for freshers versus returning students, and how the indigene and non-indigene rates compare.
About UNIMED and Its Medicine and Surgery Programme
UNIMED was established by the Ondo State Government in 2015, following a bill signed into law in 2014 by the then governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. It holds accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and is recognized as Nigeria’s first fully specialized medical university, offering one of the widest ranges of medical and health science programmes among Nigerian institutions, including Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, Physiotherapy, and several allied health courses.
The Medicine and Surgery programme runs under the Faculty of Clinical Sciences and leads to the award of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree after six years of study, combining pre-clinical foundation courses in the early years with intensive clinical postings in the later years. Because UNIMED is a specialized medical institution rather than a general university with a medical faculty attached, its facilities, staff-to-student ratio, and clinical exposure are built specifically around health science training, which is part of why its fees run higher than what many conventional universities charge for the same programme.
UNIMED Medicine and Surgery Fees for Freshers (100 Level)
UNIMED groups Medicine and Surgery together with Dentistry and Dental Surgery under the Faculty of Clinical Sciences and Faculty of Dental Sciences for fee purposes, since both programmes carry the same premium tuition band. Based on the university’s most recently published fee schedule, a fresher admitted into Medicine and Surgery at the 100 level pays the following for the session.
| Fee Item | Indigene (₦) | Non-Indigene (₦) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition (100 Level, fresher) | 2,000,000 | 2,600,000 |
| Acceptance fee | 100,000 | 100,000 |
This tuition figure represents the most recent increase the university applied to its Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry programmes, and it applies specifically to newly admitted 100-level students from the session the increase took effect. A fresher should therefore budget a total close to ₦2,100,000 for indigenes or ₦2,700,000 for non-indigenes when tuition and the acceptance fee are combined, before adding hostel accommodation, departmental practical charges, and other miscellaneous costs the faculty may specify at registration.
UNIMED Medicine and Surgery Fees for Returning Students
Returning students in Medicine and Surgery pay a lower figure than the current fresher rate, largely because Nigerian public universities typically apply new tuition increases only to incoming students, while continuing students remain on the rate that was in effect when they were first admitted, until they complete the programme. This is the pattern UNIMED has followed with its Medicine and Surgery fees.
| Level | Indigene (₦) | Non-Indigene (₦) |
|---|---|---|
| 300 Level | 1,683,500 | 2,245,000 |
| 400 Level | 1,683,500 | 2,245,000 |
| 500 Level | 1,320,000 | 2,245,000 |
| 600 Level | 1,320,000 | 2,245,000 |
A returning Medicine and Surgery student, depending on their year of study, should expect to pay between roughly ₦1,320,000 and ₦1,683,500 per session if they are an indigene of Ondo State, or a comparatively flatter ₦2,245,000 per session across most levels if they are a non-indigene. These figures do not include the acceptance fee, which only applies once at the point of first admission, and they exclude hostel accommodation and any departmental practical or clinical posting charges billed separately.
Why Medicine and Surgery Costs More at UNIMED Than at Many Other Universities
UNIMED’s Medicine and Surgery tuition sits well above what most conventional Nigerian universities charge for the same programme, and a few structural reasons explain the gap:
- UNIMED is a fully specialized medical university, meaning its infrastructure, staffing, and clinical training partnerships are built entirely around health science education rather than spread across unrelated faculties like Arts or Social Sciences that typically subsidize a general university’s cost structure.
- Clinical training in the later years of the MBBS programme requires sustained access to teaching hospital facilities, specialist consultants, and structured ward rotations, all of which carry running costs well above what a lecture-based programme requires.
- As a state-government-owned specialized institution, UNIMED’s fee structure has faced periodic upward revision tied to the state’s funding allocation and the rising cost of maintaining modern medical training equipment and facilities.
- The tuition figure for Medicine and Surgery in the most recent fee revision reflects a substantial increase over the previous session’s rate, a pattern the university has followed as operating costs for specialized medical training continue to rise nationally.
Prospective students and their sponsors should treat the current published figures as a snapshot rather than a fixed long-term rate, since UNIMED has revised its Medicine and Surgery tuition upward from one session to the next in recent years, and further adjustment before or during the 2026/2027 session cannot be ruled out.
Indigene vs Non-Indigene Fee Structure
Like most Nigerian state universities, UNIMED charges Ondo State indigenes a lower tuition rate than candidates from other states, and this gap is most pronounced in Medicine and Surgery because the base figure itself is already high.
| Category | Fresher Tuition (100 Level) | Approximate Returning Student Range |
|---|---|---|
| Indigene of Ondo State | ₦2,000,000 | ₦1,320,000 – ₦1,683,500 |
| Non-Indigene | ₦2,600,000 | ₦2,245,000 |
The difference between indigene and non-indigene rates in Medicine and Surgery runs into hundreds of thousands of naira per session, which makes confirming one’s indigene status with the university’s admissions office an important early step for any candidate planning their finances around this programme.
Other Charges Beyond Tuition
Tuition and the acceptance fee are the two largest components of what a Medicine and Surgery student pays at UNIMED, but they are not the only costs involved. Students should also plan for:
- Hostel accommodation, for students who choose to live within university-managed hostels rather than off-campus housing.
- Departmental and laboratory practical charges, which apply across the pre-clinical years covering Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry.
- Clinical posting-related charges in the later years, once students begin structured hospital rotations.
- Medical screening, ID card, and other standard institutional charges that typically apply to freshers in the first session.
None of these additional charges is usually as large as the tuition figure itself, but together they can add a meaningful sum on top of the base tuition, particularly in the first year when several one-time charges apply simultaneously.
How to Pay UNIMED School Fees
UNIMED processes tuition payment through its official student portal, and the general payment procedure for both freshers and returning students follows a similar structure each session:
- The student logs into the UNIMED student portal using their registration or matriculation details.
- The student generates an invoice for the current session, selecting the correct fee category based on their faculty, level, and indigene status.
- Payment is completed either online through the portal or at one of the banks the university has officially designated for fee collection.
- The student prints or downloads a payment confirmation receipt, which is required for course registration.
- UNIMED has, in past sessions, permitted an installment arrangement for tuition, typically requiring a first instalment at the start of the session and the balance before a stated deadline later in the session, though students should confirm the exact installment terms and deadlines that apply for 2026/2027 directly with the bursary department.
Late payment beyond the university’s published deadline generally attracts a penalty charge, and unpaid fees can prevent a student from being registered for examinations, so early payment is advisable, particularly given how large the Medicine and Surgery tuition figure is relative to other programmes.
Points to Confirm Before Paying
- Confirm the exact current-session tuition figure directly with the UNIMED bursary department or student portal, since Medicine and Surgery fees at this university have been revised upward in recent sessions and may change again before or during 2026/2027.
- Confirm your indigene or non-indigene classification with the admissions office if there is any uncertainty, given how large the gap between the two rates is for this programme.
- Ask specifically whether hostel accommodation, clinical posting charges, and departmental practical fees are included in any total figure you are quoted, since these are commonly billed separately from tuition.
- Pay only through the official UNIMED portal or its designated banks to avoid falling victim to unauthorized fee collectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Medicine and Surgery tuition for freshers at UNIMED?
A 100-level fresher pays ₦2,000,000 in tuition if they are an indigene of Ondo State, or ₦2,600,000 if they are a non-indigene, plus a ₦100,000 acceptance fee paid once at the point of admission.
How much do returning Medicine and Surgery students pay at UNIMED?
Returning students typically pay between ₦1,320,000 and ₦1,683,500 per session as indigenes, depending on their level, or a flatter ₦2,245,000 per session as non-indigenes, reflecting the tuition rate that applied when they were first admitted.
Why is Medicine and Surgery so much more expensive than other courses at UNIMED?
UNIMED is a specialized medical university whose entire infrastructure and staffing model is built around health science training, and Medicine and Surgery specifically requires extensive clinical training access, specialist instruction, and hospital-based rotations that push its cost well above less resource-intensive programmes.
Does UNIMED allow installment payment for Medicine and Surgery fees?
UNIMED has permitted installment payment in past sessions, generally structured as a first instalment early in the session followed by a balance payment before a set deadline, though students should confirm the specific terms for 2026/2027 with the bursary department before assuming this applies automatically.
Is the Medicine and Surgery fee the same every session at UNIMED?
No. UNIMED has revised its Medicine and Surgery tuition upward in recent sessions, with the fee for new intakes rising above what the previous cohort of students pays, so prospective and current students should confirm the exact figure for the session they are enrolling in rather than relying on a previous year’s published rate.