Prospective students searching for “medical courses” at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) need an accurate starting point before budgeting for fees or applying. IAUE is a dedicated teacher-education university, not a medical or clinical sciences institution, and this shapes what “medical” or health-related study actually means there. This article explains exactly what IAUE offers in the health field, clarifies what it does not offer, and sets out the school fees structure that applies to the relevant programmes for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Does IAUE Offer Medicine and Surgery or Other Clinical Medical Courses?
No. Ignatius Ajuru University of Education does not run Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Nursing Science, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science, Physiotherapy, or any other clinical health training programme. IAUE operates through six faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Business Studies (Management Sciences), Natural and Applied Sciences, and Vocational and Technical Education. None of these faculties houses a College of Medicine, a College of Health Sciences, or a clinical department of any kind. The university’s core mandate, since its founding as Rivers State College of Education and its later upgrade to full university status in 2009, has remained teacher training and the production of education professionals across academic disciplines, not the training of medical doctors, nurses, or other clinical practitioners.
Candidates who specifically want to study Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, Pharmacy, or a similar clinical programme should apply to a university with a dedicated College of Medicine or College of Health Sciences, holding confirmed accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) together with the relevant professional regulatory body, such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for Medicine or the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) for Nursing. IAUE does not hold accreditation for any of these programmes because it does not run them.
The Closest Health-Related Programme at IAUE: Health Education
The programme most commonly mistaken for a “medical course” at IAUE is Health Education, which is run under the Department of Human Kinetics, Health and Safety Education in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. This is important to understand clearly: Health Education at IAUE is a teacher-education degree, not a clinical medical qualification. It trains health educators, not doctors, nurses, or other treatment-providing health workers.
Health Education is a four-year programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Science Education, B.Sc.(Ed) Health Education. Graduates of this programme are equipped to teach health-related subjects in schools, to work in health promotion roles within institutions, ministries, and parastatals, and to provide primary health care education and awareness services, rather than clinical diagnosis or treatment. This is a meaningful and useful qualification for anyone interested in public health education, school health programmes, or health promotion work, but it is fundamentally different from Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, or any programme that leads to direct patient care licensure.
The same department also runs Human Kinetics, a related four-year B.Sc.(Ed) programme focused on physical education, sports science, and human movement, which graduates typically use to teach physical education, coach, or work in sports administration. While Human Kinetics involves the study of human physiology and body mechanics, it is likewise a teacher-education and sports science qualification, not a medical one.
School Fees for Health Education at IAUE
Because Health Education is administered like any other undergraduate programme within the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, its fee structure follows the same schedule that applies across IAUE’s science-based departments, rather than a separate “medical school” fee bracket. As a state government-owned university, IAUE charges a school fee rather than tuition in the way a private university would, and the amount differs based on whether a student is an indigene of Rivers State or a non-indigene, and whether the student is fresh or returning.
The table below summarises the general pattern IAUE follows for undergraduate school fees, which applies to Health Education and Human Kinetics students in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
| Student Category | Approximate Session Fee Range |
|---|---|
| Fresh students (Indigene) | ₦37,500 – ₦47,500 |
| Returning students (Indigene) | ₦37,500 – ₦49,500 |
| Fresh and returning students (Non-Indigene) | Higher than the indigene bracket; non-indigene students pay an additional differential on top of the base school fee |
| Hostel accommodation (optional) | ₦35,000 – ₦45,000, depending on hostel type and gender |
These figures reflect the base school fee schedule and do not include additional charges such as acceptance fees for new students, departmental dues, faculty dues, development levies, library fees, ICT/e-library charges, and other institutional dues that are billed alongside the main school fee. Science-based departments within the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, which includes Health Education and Human Kinetics, may carry a slightly higher charge than arts-based departments because of practical class and laboratory-related costs, though IAUE’s overall fee structure remains modest compared with universities running clinical medical programmes.
Components That Make Up the Total Fee for a Health Education Student
A Health Education or Human Kinetics student at IAUE should budget for the following components, which are billed together to form the full amount payable each session:
- Acceptance fee: A one-time charge paid by newly admitted students to confirm their admission before proceeding to register.
- School fee: The core charge for the session, which differs by indigene/non-indigene status as shown above.
- Development levy: A standard charge applied across the university to support infrastructure and facility maintenance.
- Library and ICT fee: Covers access to the university library and its digital learning resources.
- Departmental and faculty dues: Covers departmental activities and the running costs of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
- Health fee: A standard charge covering basic student health services on campus.
- Caution fee: A refundable deposit held by the university against damage to institutional property, standard practice across Nigerian universities.
- Hostel accommodation (optional): Charged separately for students who choose to reside in university hostels rather than off-campus housing.
Students who cannot pay the full session fee at once are generally permitted to pay in two instalments, with 50 percent settled in the first semester and the remaining 50 percent in the second semester, provided the full amount is cleared before the session’s payment deadline.
Admission Requirements for Health Education at IAUE
Candidates applying for Health Education, or the related Human Kinetics programme, at IAUE need the following:
- A minimum of five credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, and other science or health-related subjects, obtained at not more than two sittings in SSCE, NECO, or NABTEB.
- A UTME score that meets IAUE’s institutional cut-off mark for the session, with Health Education selected as the course of study during JAMB registration.
- Participation in the university’s post-UTME screening exercise, where conducted, alongside submission of relevant academic credentials.
- For Direct Entry candidates, an approved NCE, A-Level, or equivalent qualification in a related subject area, in line with IAUE’s Direct Entry admission requirements.
Why Candidates Should Confirm a University’s Programme List Before Applying
Because IAUE’s name and its association with science-adjacent departments sometimes lead candidates to assume it offers clinical medical training, it is worth stressing a broader point that applies well beyond this university: not every institution with a science faculty or a health-related department name runs an accredited clinical medical, nursing, or pharmacy programme. Before applying anywhere with the goal of studying a clinical medical course, candidates should confirm three things directly with the institution or through the NUC and the relevant professional regulatory body: that the specific programme exists at that institution, that it holds current accreditation, and that it leads to the professional licensure the candidate is aiming for. This check takes only a few minutes and prevents a candidate from spending years and significant fees on a qualification that does not lead to the career path they intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ignatius Ajuru University of Education offer Medicine and Surgery (MBBS)?
No. IAUE does not run a College of Medicine or an MBBS programme. Its six faculties are Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Business Studies, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Vocational and Technical Education, none of which includes clinical medical training.
Does IAUE offer Nursing Science?
No. IAUE does not run a Nursing Science programme. Candidates interested in Nursing should apply to a university or college of nursing accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) for that specific programme.
What is the closest programme to a medical course at IAUE?
Health Education, a B.Sc.(Ed) programme under the Department of Human Kinetics, Health and Safety Education, is the closest health-related offering. It trains health educators for schools and health promotion roles, not clinical practitioners.
How much does a Health Education student pay per session at IAUE?
Indigene students typically pay within the range of ₦37,500 to ₦49,500 per session, depending on level and status, while non-indigene students pay a higher differential. These figures exclude acceptance fees, hostel accommodation, and other one-time charges.
Where can a candidate confirm the exact, current fee for Health Education at IAUE?
The official IAUE website publishes the approved school fees schedule for each academic session, broken down by faculty, indigene/non-indigene status, and level of study. Candidates should confirm the exact figure there before making any payment.