Top 20 Newly Accredited Medical Schools in Nigeria
Introduction
Nigeria’s persistent doctor shortage — worsened in recent years by the “japa” wave of medical professionals emigrating abroad — has pushed both the Federal Government and state governments, alongside private investors, to rapidly expand the country’s medical training capacity. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the statutory body responsible for accrediting and regulating medical and dental education in Nigeria, has responded by accrediting a growing wave of new Colleges/Faculties of Medicine, while also raising admission quotas at many existing schools.
As of early 2026, MDCN confirms that 62 medical schools are currently accredited to train doctors in Nigeria — 45 with full accreditation and 17 operating under partial accreditation as they continue to build out staffing, teaching hospitals, laboratories, and clinical partnerships required to graduate their first cohorts of doctors.
This article profiles the Top 20 newly accredited (or newly expanded) medical schools in Nigeria — institutions that have either received their first MDCN accreditation, advanced from partial to full accreditation, or significantly grown their admission quota within the last few years. It’s a mix of new federal universities of health sciences, ambitious state-government projects, and private universities investing heavily in medical education.
Important note on accreditation status: “Partial accreditation” means MDCN has approved the school to run pre-clinical and/or early clinical training, but the programme is still building toward the full accreditation needed for unrestricted intake and progression through all six years to graduation. Prospective candidates should always verify a school’s current accreditation status directly with MDCN before applying, as statuses are reviewed and updated regularly.
The List
1. Bayelsa Medical University (BMU), Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
A state-government-established institution (2018/2019) dedicated entirely to health sciences. MDCN approved BMU’s MBBS programme in 2024, allowing students to sit for medical board qualifying examinations. BMU runs Faculties of Clinical Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences, Health Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, alongside Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry.
2. David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State
A federal medical university with a College of Medicine currently under partial accreditation, admitting up to 150 students per session. As with other newer federal health-sciences universities, it was purpose-built to expand Nigeria’s medical training pipeline outside the traditional big federal universities.
3. Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare (FUHSA), Bauchi State
Established in 2021, FUHSA is a dedicated federal health-sciences university in Nigeria’s North East, a historically underserved region for medical training capacity. It began with its pioneer cohort in the merged 2021/2022–2022/2023 session and continues expanding its medical training infrastructure.
4. Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State
AE-FUNAI’s MBBS programme (running since the 2017/2018 session) received First Clinical Accreditation from MDCN in March 2024, allowing its clinical students to sit the Third Professional Medical Examination (3rd MB) for the first time. The university’s medical quota was simultaneously raised from 50 to 100 — a major milestone toward graduating its first set of doctors.
5. Baze University, Abuja (FCT)
A private university whose College of Medicine & Health Sciences received MDCN approval for pre-clinical studies in December 2023, with the MBBS programme commencing at its main campus (home to the state-of-the-art Baze University Teaching Hospital) from the 2024/2025 session. Currently listed under partial accreditation with a quota of around 100.
6. Federal University, Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State
FUD received full NUC accreditation for Medicine and Surgery in April 2022 (alongside 18 other programmes) and later earned specific commendation from an MDCN visitation team in 2024 for its programme organisation, even after a temporary, self-imposed 2024/2025 admissions pause to manage its existing student backlog. Admissions resumed for 2025/2026, with a confirmed cut-off mark and steady growth in its medical quota.
7. Rivers State University, College of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Rivers State University stands out nationally as the medical school with the highest admission quota in the country, approved to admit up to 300–400 students per session following the Federal Government’s 2024 quota-doubling initiative aimed at addressing the doctor shortage crisis. Currently listed under partial accreditation as capacity continues to scale.
8. PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
A private medical university with its quota doubled from 100 to 200 as part of the same national quota expansion drive. PAMO is dedicated specifically to medical and health sciences training, differentiating it from general private universities that added medicine as one of several faculties.
9. Eko University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Ijanikin, Lagos State
A private specialist medical university whose quota was doubled from 50 to 100 students per session. Like PAMO, Eko University is fully focused on medical and health sciences education rather than running as a general multi-faculty university.
10. Osun State University (UNIOSUN), College of Health Sciences, Osogbo, Osun State
UNIOSUN’s medical programme moved from partial toward expanded capacity, with its quota doubled from 100 to 200 under the national expansion initiative — a significant boost for a state university whose Medicine and Surgery programme has drawn growing interest from prospective candidates who previously questioned its accreditation status.
11. Yobe State University, College of Medical Sciences, Damaturu, Yobe State
One of the newer state-government medical schools in Nigeria’s North East, currently under partial accreditation. Its establishment reflects growing state-level investment in medical training capacity in a region with historically low doctor-to-population ratios.
12. Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State
A private university whose College of Medicine and Health Sciences represents part of the wave of newer private institutions entering medical education, expanding the South East’s private-sector medical training options.
13. Benson Idahosa University, School of Medicine, Benin City, Edo State
A private university operating a relatively young School of Medicine under partial accreditation, with an approved quota of around 50 students, contributing to Edo State’s growing medical education ecosystem.
14. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), College of Medicine, Awka/Uli, Anambra State
A state university holding full accreditation with an approved quota of 120 students, reflecting Anambra State’s continued investment in medical training capacity alongside longer-established institutions like Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
15. Kaduna State University (KASU), College of Medicine, Kaduna State
A state-government medical school contributing to North West Nigeria’s medical training capacity, alongside the region’s dominant federal institutions (Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University Kano).
16. Veritas University, Abuja (FCT)
A private university whose medical programme is among the newer entrants still working through the accreditation stages as it builds out teaching hospital partnerships, laboratories, and clinical training infrastructure — part of the broader wave of private universities investing in medicine since the early 2020s.
17. Niger Delta University, College of Health Sciences, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State
A state university whose quota was expanded from 50 to 100 students under the national doubling initiative, adding to the growing cluster of medical training capacity in the South South/Niger Delta region.
18. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), College of Health Sciences, Ogbomoso, Osun State
A state technology university whose medical programme quota was doubled from 120 to 240 students, reflecting one of the larger capacity expansions among Nigeria’s state-owned medical schools.
19. Gombe State University, College of Health Sciences, Gombe State
A state university in Nigeria’s North East contributing to regional medical training capacity, working alongside the University of Maiduguri and newer institutions like Yobe State University and FUHSA Azare to address the region’s healthcare manpower gap.
20. Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences, Sagamu/Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State
A state university whose medical school quota was doubled from 75 to 150 students as part of the national capacity-expansion drive, strengthening Ogun State’s medical training pipeline.
Why So Many New Medical Schools Are Being Accredited
Doctor shortage and “japa” emigration: Nigeria has one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios in the world, worsened by the ongoing emigration of trained doctors abroad. In response, the Federal Government has pushed a policy of doubling admission quotas at many existing medical schools while accelerating accreditation of new ones.
Regional equity: Many of the newer schools (FUHSA Azare, Yobe State University, AE-FUNAI, David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences) are deliberately located in regions historically underserved by medical training capacity, particularly the North East and South East.
State government investment: States are increasingly establishing their own dedicated medical universities (Bayelsa Medical University) or expanding existing state university medical programmes (Rivers State University, LAUTECH, COOU) rather than relying solely on federal capacity.
Private sector growth: Private universities — both specialist medical universities (PAMO, Eko University) and general universities adding medicine (Baze, Veritas, Gregory University, Benson Idahosa) — now account for a meaningful share of Nigeria’s total medical training slots.
What “Partial Accreditation” Means for Prospective Students
Admission into a partially accredited medical school is legally recognised by MDCN — students are not studying “illegally.” However, partial accreditation comes with important caveats:
Intake and progression through the six-year MBBS programme may be more tightly monitored or limited until full accreditation is achieved.
Clinical training infrastructure (teaching hospitals, specialist departments) may still be under development.
Full accreditation is typically achieved in stages — pre-clinical accreditation first, followed by “First Clinical Accreditation” (as AE-FUNAI recently achieved), and eventually full accreditation covering all six years.
Education analysts generally advise prospective candidates to weigh a school’s current accreditation stage and approved quota just as carefully as its overall reputation, since these factors directly affect admission chances, quality of clinical exposure, and how smoothly a student can progress toward graduation.
How to Verify a Medical School’s Current Accreditation Status
Because accreditation status is reviewed and can change, always confirm directly through:
The official MDCN website (mdcn.gov.ng), which publishes updated lists of accredited medical schools with their designation (full or partial) and approved quota.