Covenant University, one of Nigeria’s leading private universities located in Ota, Ogun State, is expanding its academic offerings to include a College of Medicine for the first time in its history. This is a significant shift for the institution, since Covenant University school fees for medicine and surgery were previously not a real search topic simply because the programme did not exist on campus. This article explains what the university has confirmed about the new medical programme, what the fee structure looks like for both Nigerian and international applicants, and what prospective students should understand about the cost of studying medicine at Covenant University for the 2026/2027 academic session and beyond.
Does Covenant University Currently Offer Medicine and Surgery
For many years, Covenant University did not run an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) programme. Students interested in health-related courses at the university could only enrol in fields adjacent to medicine, such as biological sciences, biochemistry, or related health science disciplines, without direct access to a full medical degree track. That situation is now changing. The university has officially announced the establishment of a College of Medicine, alongside a new College of Law, set to begin admitting students for the 2026/2027 academic session. This means that, going forward, Medicine and Surgery becomes an actual undergraduate pathway at Covenant University rather than a course prospective students previously searched for without success.
This expansion follows a broader investment plan by the university’s founder, Chancellor Dr. David Oyedepo, who committed a substantial capital budget, running into billions of naira, toward constructing world-class medical training facilities on campus. Construction and accreditation work for the new college has been ongoing, positioning Covenant University to join the relatively small group of private Nigerian universities offering a full, university-based medical degree.
Admission Requirements for the New Medicine Programme
Covenant University has outlined separate admission pathways depending on whether a candidate is a Nigerian applicant or an international applicant, and the requirements differ meaningfully between the two groups.
For Nigerian candidates applying to the Medicine and Surgery programme, the university requires the following:
- Valid O’Level results, with WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB accepted. GCE and other equivalent Nigerian secondary qualifications are also recognized, but A-Level results specifically are not accepted as a substitute for the standard O’Level requirement.
- Registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), since Nigerian applicants must sit for JAMB to be considered.
- Successful completion of Covenant University’s internal screening process after meeting the JAMB and O’Level requirements.
- Graduates of the programme will be expected to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which applies to Nigerian citizens who complete an undergraduate degree domestically.
For international applicants, the pathway looks different:
- JAMB registration is not required for international candidates.
- Accepted qualifications include high school grades from the 9th to 11th or 12th grade equivalent, along with GCSE or IGCSE results.
- International applicants pay a non-refundable application fee of 100 US dollars as part of the admission process.
- Unlike Nigerian students, whose fees are billed in naira, international students pay their tuition and other charges for the full programme in US dollars.
This dual-track admission structure reflects Covenant University’s broader push to attract both domestic and international students into its newly established health sciences college.
What Is Known About the Actual Cost of Studying Medicine
As of now, Covenant University has not published a complete, itemized breakdown of naira figures for its Medicine and Surgery tuition, since the programme is only beginning intake for the 2026/2027 session and the university typically finalizes and releases fee schedules shortly before a new session commences. However, a few concrete financial details have already been confirmed by the university.
A non-refundable acceptance fee of approximately ₦350,000 is required from newly admitted Nigerian students once an offer is confirmed, and this amount is applied toward the student’s overall school fees rather than treated as a separate, additional charge. This acceptance fee structure is consistent with how Covenant University typically processes admissions across its other colleges, where a portion of the total session fee is collected upfront to secure a candidate’s place before the remaining balance is settled.
Beyond the acceptance fee, the university has indicated that full tuition and other charges for the Medicine and Surgery programme will be published through official channels closer to the start of the session, and prospective students are encouraged to monitor the university’s website directly rather than rely on unconfirmed estimates circulating elsewhere.
Estimating Medical Tuition Using Covenant University’s Existing Fee Pattern
While an official, itemized fee schedule specifically for Medicine and Surgery is not yet fully public, applicants can reasonably anticipate that medical tuition will sit at the higher end of the university’s overall fee range, since Covenant University already charges its most expensive fees for programmes with heavy laboratory, equipment, and clinical training demands, such as engineering. Medical education carries even greater infrastructure and staffing costs than engineering, given the need for cadaver labs, clinical placements, teaching hospital partnerships, and specialized medical equipment, so it is reasonable to expect that Medicine and Surgery will likely represent one of the costliest, if not the single costliest, undergraduate programme at the university once full figures are released.
For context, Covenant University already operates a full-boarding, all-inclusive fee model across its existing colleges, meaning tuition figures typically bundle together academic charges, hostel accommodation, feeding, and other compulsory services into a single comprehensive session fee rather than billing these separately. Existing undergraduate programmes at the university span a considerable range, from courses charging under a million naira per session to engineering and other technical courses charging well above two million naira per session. The table below illustrates this general spread, which gives useful context for what a new, resource-intensive programme like Medicine and Surgery is likely to cost once the university publishes exact figures.
| Programme Category | General Fee Range (Per Session) |
|---|---|
| Standard arts and social science courses | Lower end of the university’s fee scale |
| Business and management courses | Mid-range |
| Science and technology courses | Mid-to-upper range |
| Engineering courses | Among the highest currently published |
| Medicine and Surgery (new programme) | Expected to match or exceed engineering, pending official confirmation |
Applicants and parents budgeting for the new programme should treat any specific naira figure seen online before the official release as a preliminary estimate rather than a confirmed cost.
Why the Full Fee Structure Has Not Yet Been Finalized
There are a few practical reasons why Covenant University has not released a complete fee breakdown for Medicine and Surgery ahead of the 2026/2027 intake. New academic programmes, particularly medical degrees, require regulatory accreditation from bodies such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) before full commencement, and costing for a first intake often depends on finalized staffing, equipment procurement, and facility completion timelines. Universities generally avoid publishing exact tuition figures until these operational details are settled, since premature figures risk requiring correction once actual running costs for the first cohort are known. This is a normal pattern across Nigerian private universities launching new health science colleges, not something unique to Covenant University.
What Prospective Applicants Should Do in the Meantime
Given that full fee details are still pending official release, applicants interested in the new Medicine and Surgery programme at Covenant University should take the following practical steps while waiting for confirmation.
- Register for JAMB and select Covenant University for the relevant academic session if applying as a Nigerian candidate.
- Prepare all required O’Level documentation early, since incomplete academic records can delay screening even after fees are settled.
- Monitor the university’s official website and admissions communications directly for the release of the finalized tuition schedule, since Covenant University typically publishes exact figures shortly before each session begins.
- Budget conservatively by assuming costs at or above the university’s current engineering fee level, since medical training tends to carry equal or higher costs due to clinical and laboratory demands.
- International applicants should prepare their application fee in US dollars and confirm currency-specific tuition figures once released, since their fee structure is handled separately from the naira-based schedule used for Nigerian students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Covenant University currently run a Medicine and Surgery programme? Yes, starting with the 2026/2027 academic session. Before this, the university did not offer an MBBS programme, and prospective students could only pursue related health science courses.
How much is the acceptance fee for the new Medicine programme? Newly admitted Nigerian students are required to pay a non-refundable acceptance fee of approximately ₦350,000, which counts toward their overall school fees rather than as a separate charge.
Do international students pay the same fees as Nigerian students? No. International applicants pay a $100 application fee and settle their tuition in US dollars, while Nigerian students are billed in naira and must go through JAMB registration.
When will the exact tuition amount for Medicine and Surgery be published? Covenant University typically releases full, itemized fee schedules for a new session shortly before it begins. Prospective students should check the university’s official website directly rather than relying on unconfirmed figures found elsewhere.