Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, is one of the state-owned universities in Nigeria with a functioning College of Health Sciences. Students who intend to study Medicine, Nursing, Physiology, Anatomy, Medical Laboratory Science, or related health courses at OOU often need clear information on the programmes available, the admission conditions attached to each, and how much they should budget for tuition and other charges. This article covers the medical and health-related courses offered at OOU, their admission requirements, and a breakdown of the school fees expected for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Overview of OOU and Its College of Health Sciences
OOU began as Ogun State University in 1982 and was renamed in 2001 in honour of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, a former governor of Ogun State. The university runs a multi-campus arrangement, with its permanent site in Ago-Iwoye and additional campuses in Ibogun, Ayetoro, and Sagamu. The clinical and medical programmes are anchored at the Sagamu campus, where students have direct access to the teaching hospital used for clinical postings and practical training. This arrangement allows medical and nursing students to combine classroom instruction with hands-on hospital experience from the pre-clinical stage through to final year.
The College of Health Sciences at OOU groups together the university’s medicine-related disciplines. Students in this college are trained under faculty members and clinicians who hold both academic and hospital appointments, which is standard practice for medical training in Nigerian universities.
Medical and Health-Related Courses Offered at OOU
The table below lists the main medical and health science courses available at OOU, along with the qualification each course leads to.
| Course | Qualification Awarded | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | MBChB (formerly MBBS in some records) | 6 years |
| Nursing Science | BNSc | 5 years |
| Physiology | B.Sc Physiology | 4 years |
| Anatomy | B.Sc Anatomy | 4 years |
| Medical Laboratory Science | BMLS | 5 years |
| Public Health | B.Sc Public Health | 4–5 years |
| Physiotherapy | BMR (Physiotherapy) | 5 years |
| Nutrition and Dietetics | B.Sc Nutrition and Dietetics | 4–5 years |
Medicine and Surgery is the flagship programme in the college and the most competitive to gain admission into. Students spend the first part of the programme on basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry) before proceeding to clinical postings in the teaching hospital during the later years. Nursing Science trains students for professional nursing practice and includes clinical placements in affiliated hospitals. Physiology and Anatomy are stand-alone degree programmes for students who want to specialise in these basic medical sciences without going through the full medical training pathway; graduates of these programmes often proceed into research, academia, or further postgraduate medical training. Medical Laboratory Science prepares students to work as laboratory scientists who handle diagnostic testing, while Physiotherapy trains students in rehabilitation and movement therapy for patients recovering from injury, surgery, or chronic conditions.
Admission Requirements for Medical Courses at OOU
Candidates who want to study Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, or any other health-related course at OOU need to meet both the university’s general admission conditions and the specific subject requirements tied to their chosen course.
For Medicine and Surgery, a candidate must have:
- At least five credit passes in one sitting (some departments accept two sittings, but medicine typically prefers one sitting), including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
- A UTME registration with English Language, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as the required subject combination.
- A UTME score and Post-UTME screening score that meet the departmental cut-off mark, which is significantly higher than the university’s general cut-off mark.
OOU sets a general aggregate cut-off mark that applies across the university before departmental screening decides who actually gets in. In recent admission cycles, the university-wide baseline cut-off mark for candidates to even qualify for the Post-UTME screening has been around 160 in UTME. However, this baseline does not apply directly to competitive courses such as Medicine. Departments like Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, and Pharmacy typically demand much higher actual scores from applicants who intend to be considered for admission, since these are among the most sought-after courses in the university. Prospective medical students should treat 160 as the minimum requirement to sit the screening exercise, not as a realistic target score for admission into Medicine and Surgery specifically.
After the UTME score, OOU conducts a Post-UTME screening exercise. The university uses a combined scoring method where the UTME result and the Post-UTME screening result are merged into a final aggregate, generally split evenly between both components. Candidates need to perform well in both stages, since a strong UTME score alone does not guarantee a seat if the Post-UTME performance is weak, and vice versa.
For Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Physiology, Anatomy, and Physiotherapy, the O’Level requirement typically includes credits in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (or Chemistry and one other science subject, depending on the specific course), while the UTME subject combination usually covers English Language, Biology, Chemistry, and either Physics or Mathematics. Candidates should always confirm the exact subject combination for their intended course directly on the JAMB portal or the OOU admissions page before registering, since requirements can be adjusted between admission cycles.
School Fees for Medical Courses at OOU (2026/2027)
School fees at OOU are structured by faculty and level, with courses that require laboratory work, clinical training, or specialised equipment attracting higher charges than arts or social science courses. Health-related and medical courses fall into the higher fee bracket because of the practical, laboratory, and clinical components built into the training.
Based on the fee structure applied in recent sessions, the following gives a general picture of what students in medical and health courses at OOU should expect to pay:
| Course | Approximate Fee Range (per session) |
|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | ₦170,000 – ₦350,000 |
| Nursing Science | ₦170,000 – ₦240,000 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | ₦150,000 – ₦230,000 |
| Physiology / Anatomy | ₦150,000 – ₦225,000 |
| Physiotherapy | ₦150,000 – ₦230,000 |
| Public Health | ₦150,000 – ₦225,000 |
The wide range reflects the fact that fee figures have varied noticeably between admission cycles and between reported sources, and OOU periodically reviews its fee schedule. Fresh students should also budget for charges outside the core tuition amount, including:
- Acceptance fee: a non-refundable fee paid immediately after receiving an admission offer, generally in the range of ₦60,000 to ₦75,000.
- Hostel accommodation: ranges from about ₦55,000 to ₦80,000 depending on the hall of residence, for students who choose to live on campus.
- ICT and library fees: charged alongside tuition and cover access to the university’s digital learning resources and library facilities.
- Medical fee and matriculation fee: one-off or annual charges that cover the university clinic registration and the formal matriculation ceremony for new students.
- Departmental and practical fees: additional charges specific to laboratory-based and clinical courses, covering consumables, equipment use, and clinical posting logistics.
Returning students generally pay a slightly lower figure than fresh students each session, since new students carry the extra one-off charges (acceptance fee, matriculation fee, ID card fee) that returning students do not repeat.
Because OOU reviews its fee schedule periodically and figures reported by different sources for the same session do not always match exactly, candidates and parents should treat the numbers above as a planning guide rather than a final figure. The most reliable way to confirm the exact amount for a specific course and level is to log in to the OOU student portal after admission, where the university generates an itemised fee breakdown tied to the student’s specific department and level.
Why Medical Courses Cost More Than Other Programmes at OOU
Medical and health science courses at OOU consistently attract higher fees than programmes in Arts, Education, or the Social Sciences. This difference comes down to the nature of the training involved. Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, and Physiotherapy all require laboratory sessions, clinical postings, specimen and consumable use, and in some cases direct involvement with hospital facilities and equipment. These costs are built into the departmental and practical fees charged to students in these programmes. Arts-based courses, by comparison, rely mainly on lectures, tutorials, and library resources, which cost the university less to run per student.
Payment Process for OOU School Fees
Students pay their school fees through the official OOU student portal rather than through direct bank deposits or third-party agents. The general process works as follows:
- Log in to the OOU student portal using the registration details generated after admission.
- Navigate to the school fees payment section on the portal.
- Select the preferred payment channel, which is typically an online card payment or a designated POS payment point on campus.
- Complete the payment and print or save the confirmation receipt generated by the portal.
- Use the receipt to complete course registration for the session.
Students are advised to make payments directly through the official portal only, since fraudulent collection of school fees through unofficial channels has affected students at various Nigerian universities in the past.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OOU offer Medicine and Surgery as a full six-year programme?
Yes. Medicine and Surgery at OOU runs for six years and leads to the MBChB qualification, with pre-clinical training on the main academic side and clinical postings carried out at the teaching hospital in Sagamu.
What is the general cut-off mark for OOU, and does it apply to Medicine?
The university-wide baseline UTME cut-off mark that qualifies a candidate to sit the Post-UTME screening has generally been around 160. This baseline does not guarantee admission into Medicine and Surgery specifically, since the actual departmental cut-off for Medicine is considerably higher due to the number of applicants competing for a limited number of seats.
Are OOU medical course fees the same for all levels?
No. Fresh students in their first year pay additional one-off charges such as the acceptance fee and matriculation fee, which returning students in subsequent years do not pay. Departmental and practical fees may also differ slightly by level as clinical exposure increases in later years.
Can international or non-indigene students apply for OOU medical courses?
Yes, OOU admits candidates from outside Ogun State, though fee structures and quota allocations can differ slightly for indigene and non-indigene applicants in state-owned universities generally. Candidates should confirm this detail with the admissions office.
Where can students get the exact, current fee for their specific course?
The OOU student portal generates the exact fee breakdown tied to a student’s department and level once admission has been confirmed. This is the most accurate source, since published fee figures can change between sessions.