Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS/UDUSOK) School Fees For Medicine And Surgery
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), popularly known as UDUSOK, is one of Nigeria’s earliest federal universities, established in 1975 and named after the renowned Islamic scholar and founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Shehu Usman Dan Fodio. The university runs its Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme through the College of Health Sciences, which was fully accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) in December 1995. Clinical training for medical students takes place at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), a multi-specialty teaching hospital in Sokoto with a full range of emergency, surgical, and specialist services.
As a federal government-owned institution, UDUS is widely regarded as one of the more affordable universities in Nigeria for studying Medicine and Surgery, especially when compared to private universities where MBBS tuition can run into millions of naira per session. This article breaks down what prospective and returning medical students can expect to pay, the components that typically make up the fee, and other charges connected to studying medicine at UDUS.
Overview Of UDUS Medicine And Surgery Fees
Medicine and Surgery is a six-year programme at UDUS, structured into pre-clinical and clinical years, and it leads to the award of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. Fees are reviewed by the university management from one academic session to the next, so the exact figures can shift slightly year to year, but the general fee bracket has stayed within a moderate range typical of Nigerian federal universities.
Based on published fee schedules from recent sessions, UDUS Medicine and Surgery fees have generally fallen within the following brackets:
Fresh (100 Level) students admitted through UTME or Direct Entry: the school fee for new medical students has typically been quoted around ₦54,800 in some sessions, while other more recent published estimates place fresh medical student fees in the ₦115,000 to ₦190,000 range, depending on the session and whether additional charges (health insurance, ID card, departmental dues, and other sundry charges) are bundled into the figure.
Returning students (200–500 Level): returning medical students generally pay a lower amount than freshers because they are not charged fresh-student-only charges like ID card processing or matriculation fees. Figures for returning students in past sessions have ranged roughly between ₦48,000 and ₦54,000 depending on the level.
General published range for all UDUS undergraduate courses, including Medicine: the university’s overall undergraduate fee range (across faculties) has been quoted between roughly ₦36,000 and ₦70,700 for standard courses, though health-science-based programmes such as Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, and Pharmacy sometimes attract additional laboratory, clinical, and practical charges that push their totals slightly higher than fees for arts- or social-science-based courses.
Because fee schedules are revised almost every academic session and because UDUS, like most Nigerian federal universities, occasionally receives fee-relief interventions (for example, state government sponsorship of indigent students’ tuition), prospective students should always verify the exact current figure on the official UDUS student portal before making any payment.
Breakdown Of Fee Components
UDUS Medicine and Surgery fees are not a single lump sum. Like most Nigerian universities, the total payable amount is made up of several smaller charges bundled together. Common components include:
Tuition/school fee — the core academic charge for registration and instruction for the session.
Acceptance fee — a one-time fee paid by newly admitted students to confirm and secure their admission offer. For UDUS, this has historically been a modest amount (in the region of ₦5,000 to ₦30,000 depending on the session), often paired with a Tertiary Health Insurance Programme (TSHIP) charge of around ₦2,000.
Medical/health insurance fee — covers student access to the university’s health services and, for medical students, sometimes ties into clinical exposure requirements.
Library fee — a standard charge that grants access to university library resources.
ICT/e-portal fee — covers use of the university’s online academic and administrative portal.
Departmental/faculty dues — charges specific to the College of Health Sciences, which may include laboratory consumables, dissection materials, and practical class charges relevant to pre-clinical and clinical training.
Sports and student union dues — minor charges that go toward student activities and representation.
Development levy — a general infrastructure development charge applied to all students.
Hostel/accommodation fee — charged separately from tuition for students who secure university hostel accommodation, and it varies depending on the hostel block and room type.
New (fresh) students typically pay a few additional one-off charges that returning students do not, such as matriculation fees, ID card fees, and orientation charges, which is why fresh students’ total payment is usually higher than what returning students pay in subsequent years.
How UDUS Compares To Other Nigerian Universities
Compared to other federal universities offering Medicine and Surgery, UDUS sits firmly in the affordable-to-moderate range:
Universities like the University of Maiduguri and University of Calabar have historically charged some of the lowest MBBS fees in the country, often below ₦50,000 per session.
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) charge fees broadly comparable to or slightly above UDUS, generally within the ₦70,000 to ₦125,000 range depending on the session.
Universities such as the University of Ibadan and University of Lagos, both older and more research-intensive institutions, tend to charge somewhat higher fees, sometimes above ₦190,000 to ₦238,000 for new medical students.
Private universities offering MBBS, such as Nile University, Babcock University, Bowen University, and ABUAD, charge dramatically more, with tuition running from roughly ₦2.9 million to over ₦7 million per session.
This places UDUS among the more budget-friendly options for aspiring doctors in Nigeria, particularly for students from Sokoto State and neighbouring northern states.
Payment Process
UDUS school fees, including fees for Medicine and Surgery, are paid online through the university’s official e-portal at www.udusok.edu.ng. The general process for new students is:
Confirm admission status through the JAMB CAPS or the UDUS admission portal.
Generate an acceptance fee invoice on the UDUS portal and pay via a bank or supported payment channel (often processed through Remita or a similar platform).
Complete biodata registration and document upload/verification (O’level results, JAMB result, birth certificate, and other admission documents).
Generate and pay the full school fees invoice for the session.
Print the payment receipt/schedule and proceed with course registration once payment reflects on the portal.
Returning students follow a similar process each new session: log in to the student portal, generate the current session’s fee invoice, make payment, and proceed to register courses for the semester.
Additional Costs To Budget For
Beyond the official school fees, medical students at UDUS, as with most MBBS programmes, should budget for costs that are not always included in the tuition invoice:
Textbooks and course materials, which can be significant given the volume of reading required in pre-clinical and clinical years.
Dissection kits, lab coats, stethoscopes, and other clinical equipment needed from the pre-clinical years onward.
Accommodation, feeding, and transportation, particularly during clinical postings at UDUTH.
Examination and practical assessment charges that may apply in certain years of the programme.
Optional professional or association dues, such as fees for the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association (NIMSA) chapter at UDUS.
Since Medicine and Surgery runs for six years, prospective students and their families are advised to plan not just for the first-year cost but for the cumulative cost across all levels, factoring in that fees may be reviewed upward in later sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much is UDUS Medicine and Surgery school fees for new students?
Fresh medical students admitted through UTME or Direct Entry have historically paid figures ranging from roughly ₦54,800 in some sessions to figures closer to ₦115,000–₦190,000 in others, once acceptance fees, health insurance, and departmental charges are included. The exact amount changes yearly, so candidates should confirm the current figure on the official UDUS student portal after admission.
2. Is UDUS Medicine and Surgery cheaper than other federal universities?
Yes, generally. UDUS is considered one of the more affordable federal universities for studying Medicine and Surgery in Nigeria, comparable to institutions like the University of Maiduguri, Bayero University Kano, and University of Calabar, and considerably cheaper than private universities offering MBBS.
3. What is the UDUS acceptance fee for newly admitted students?
The acceptance fee for newly admitted UDUS students has typically been a modest amount, historically around ₦5,000 to ₦30,000, sometimes paired with a separate Tertiary Health Insurance Programme (TSHIP) charge of about ₦2,000. This fee must be paid promptly after admission to secure the offer.
4. Do returning medical students at UDUS pay less than fresh students?
Yes. Returning students (200 Level and above) generally pay less than fresh (100 Level) students because they are not charged one-off fees such as matriculation, ID card processing, and orientation charges that apply only to newly admitted students.
5. Where can UDUS medical students pay their school fees?
School fees are paid online through the official UDUS student portal at www.udusok.edu.ng. Students generate a fee invoice tied to their admission or matriculation number and pay through the supported bank or online payment channels before proceeding with course registration for the session.