Madonna University is a private Catholic institution in Nigeria with campuses spread across three states, and prospective medical students often search for its fees using “Okija” because Okija in Anambra State was the university’s founding location before its administrative headquarters moved to Elele in Rivers State. This point matters for accuracy: the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, along with the wider College of Medicine and Health Sciences, is domiciled at the Elele campus in Rivers State, not at Okija. Okija currently houses the Faculties of Management and Social Sciences, Arts and Education, and Law. This article uses “Madonna University” broadly, as most searchers intend when they mention Okija, and focuses specifically on the Medicine and Surgery programme fees for the 2026/2027 academic session, along with the related costs every intending medical student needs to plan for.
Where Medicine and Surgery Is Actually Domiciled
Madonna University operates a tri-campus structure. The Elele campus in Rivers State hosts Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Optometry, and the Natural Sciences. The Okija campus in Anambra State, where the university was originally founded in 1999, hosts Law, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Political Science, and related Management and Social Science courses, along with Arts and Education. The Akpugo campus in Enugu State is dedicated to Engineering. A candidate applying for Medicine and Surgery therefore completes the programme at Elele, and all correspondence, screening, and clinical training for that course happen on that campus, even though many people still refer to the university generally by its historic Okija identity.
Madonna University Medicine and Surgery School Fees
Medicine and Surgery is the most expensive undergraduate programme at Madonna University, reflecting the cost of specialized laboratory equipment, clinical facilities, teaching hospital arrangements, and the accreditation standards enforced by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). For the 2026/2027 academic session, the total fee payable for Medicine and Surgery falls within a broad range, commonly cited between N825,000 and N2,000,000 per session, depending on the year of study. Fees for the pre-clinical years (typically the first two to three years, covering Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Biochemistry) tend to sit toward the lower end of this range, while fees for the clinical years, when students move into hospital-based training and specialized rotations, rise toward the higher end.
This fee structure is standard across many private medical schools in Nigeria, where clinical-year students require more direct exposure to teaching hospital facilities, consultants, and specialized equipment, which increases the cost of instruction and supervision per student in the later years of the programme.
| Fee Component | Approximate Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition (pre-clinical years) | Lower end of the range, around N825,000+ per session |
| Tuition (clinical years) | Higher end of the range, up to N2,000,000 per session |
| Acceptance fee | Around N50,000 |
| Medical test fee (Mayfresh Mortgage Bank) | Around N6,000 |
| Registration fee | Around N3,000 |
| Hostel accommodation | Around N70,000 to N100,000 per session |
Because Madonna University reviews its fee schedule from time to time and because the clinical-versus-pre-clinical fee split can shift slightly from one session to another, candidates preparing for the 2026/2027 session should treat the figures above as a strong guide and confirm the exact, current breakdown directly from the university’s admissions office or official fee schedule once admission is offered.
Payment Structure and Instalments
Madonna University allows fees to be paid in instalments across the two semesters of an academic session rather than as one lump sum at the start of the year. For Medicine and Surgery specifically, given the size of the total fee, most students split payment between the first and second semesters, with the university setting a deadline for full payment before end-of-semester examinations. Late payment beyond the university’s stipulated deadline typically attracts a penalty, and unpaid balances can prevent a student from sitting for examinations, so intending students should plan their payment schedule early in the session rather than waiting until close to examination periods.
Other Costs Every Medical Student Should Budget For
Beyond tuition, several additional charges apply to every fresh student at Madonna University, and Medicine and Surgery students are not exempt from any of them:
- Acceptance fee: A one-time payment made after a candidate receives an admission offer, confirming the intention to enrol. This fee is separate from tuition and is not refundable.
- Medical screening fee: Paid to a designated bank (Mayfresh Mortgage Bank) as part of the pre-admission medical test every fresh student undergoes before resumption.
- Registration fee: A recurring administrative charge paid each session to complete course registration on the university’s system.
- Hostel accommodation: Compulsory for all students at Madonna University, since the institution operates a strictly residential system across its campuses. Medical students at Elele pay hostel fees within the same general range applied university-wide, though room type and hostel category can push the cost toward the higher end.
- Library, laboratory, and equipment charges: Often bundled into miscellaneous fees that appear on a student’s official fee breakdown, covering laboratory consumables, dissection materials for Anatomy, and general equipment use, all of which matter more for Medicine and Surgery than for less laboratory-intensive courses.
- Departmental and faculty dues: Small recurring charges collected by the Faculty of Medicine or the Medical Students’ Association for departmental activities, some of which cover clinical posting logistics in later years.
Admission Requirements for Medicine and Surgery at Madonna University
Candidates seeking admission into Medicine and Surgery at Madonna University need a JAMB UTME score that meets the university’s course-specific benchmark. While Madonna University’s general institutional cut off mark for most courses sits around 140, Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, and Nursing carry a higher requirement, commonly set at a minimum of 200 in JAMB UTME. Beyond the UTME score, a candidate needs at least five credit passes at O’Level, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, obtained in not more than two sittings. The university also conducts its own screening exercise for prospective medical students, and candidates must pass the mandatory pre-admission medical test before resumption, given the physically demanding nature of clinical training.
Duration and Structure of the Medicine and Surgery Programme
The Medicine and Surgery programme at Madonna University runs for six years for candidates admitted through UTME, structured into a pre-clinical phase covering foundational sciences such as Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Biochemistry, followed by a clinical phase where students rotate through major specialties, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, within the university’s affiliated teaching hospital arrangement. Candidates admitted through Direct Entry, where eligible, may complete the programme in a shorter timeframe, subject to the university’s specific Direct Entry admission policy for the course. Throughout the programme, the fee structure typically reflects the shift in training intensity, with clinical years costing more due to hospital-based supervision and specialist involvement.
Why Medicine and Surgery Costs More Than Other Courses at Madonna University
Madonna University’s cheaper courses, such as those in Education and the Arts, cost significantly less per session, sometimes below N250,000, because they do not require laboratory infrastructure, clinical facilities, or the same staff-to-student ratio that medical training demands. Medicine and Surgery, along with Pharmacy and Nursing, sits at the top of the university’s fee scale because these programmes require continuous investment in laboratory reagents, teaching hospital access, specialized faculty (many of whom are practising consultants), and compliance with strict accreditation standards set by the MDCN and the National Universities Commission (NUC). This cost structure is consistent with what most private medical schools in Nigeria charge, since medical education carries inherently higher per-student delivery costs than non-clinical disciplines.
How to Apply for Medicine and Surgery Admission
- Register for JAMB UTME and select Madonna University as the institution of choice, indicating Medicine and Surgery as the course.
- Meet the minimum UTME score benchmark set for Medicine, which is higher than the university’s general admission cut off mark.
- Complete Madonna University’s own screening or direct application process, since the university does not charge for its screening or admission forms.
- Submit O’Level results showing the required credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
- Undergo the mandatory pre-admission medical test at the designated bank once an admission offer is received.
- Pay the acceptance fee to confirm the offer, then proceed to pay tuition according to the university’s instalment schedule before resumption.
- Report to the Elele campus for registration, orientation, and commencement of pre-clinical studies.
FAQs
Is Medicine and Surgery taught at the Okija campus of Madonna University?
No. Medicine and Surgery is taught at the Elele campus in Rivers State. Okija hosts Law, Management and Social Sciences, and Arts and Education.
How much does Medicine and Surgery cost per session at Madonna University?
Fees typically range from about N825,000 in the pre-clinical years to about N2,000,000 in the clinical years, though candidates should confirm the exact current figure with the university.
What JAMB score is required for Medicine and Surgery at Madonna University?
A minimum of 200 in JAMB UTME is generally required for Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, and Nursing at Madonna University, higher than the general institutional cut off mark.
Can Medicine and Surgery fees be paid in instalments?
Yes. Madonna University allows fee payment across the two semesters of the session rather than as a single lump sum.
Is hostel accommodation compulsory for medical students at Madonna University?
Yes. The university operates a strictly residential system, so hostel accommodation is compulsory for all students, including those in Medicine and Surgery.