Plateau State University (PLASU), located in Bokkos, Plateau State, has expanded significantly beyond its original arts and science faculties to include health-related training. The university now runs a Faculty of Health Sciences, a Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and a newly established College of Medicine and Health Sciences that introduces Medicine and Surgery as a full degree programme. This article explains which medical and health-related courses PLASU currently offers, what fees apply to each, and what prospective students need to know before applying.
Overview of PLASU and Its Health-Related Faculties
PLASU was established in 2005 and received recognition from the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the 66th university in Nigeria and the 24th state-owned university in the country. For most of its history, the university’s academic offerings centred on arts, social sciences, natural and applied sciences, law, education, agricultural sciences, and building engineering. Health-related training is a more recent addition, built around three structures: the Faculty of Health Sciences, which houses Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, and Public Health; the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which runs the Pharmacy degree; and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, the newest addition, which trains students for the Medicine and Surgery degree.
The Medicine and Surgery programme is the most recent development in this expansion. PLASU commenced the programme through a partnership with the University of Freiburg in Germany, supported by the Plateau State Government’s broader push to strengthen health sector training in the state. The NUC has been directly involved in this process, including sending a resource verification team to assess the university’s facilities before full programme commencement. The university’s Senate has also approved a general cut-off mark for admission into the new programmes, while noting that individual departments retain the right to set higher subject-specific requirements for competitive courses.
Medical and Health Courses Offered at PLASU
The table below lists the medical and health-related courses currently available at PLASU, the faculty or college each falls under, and the typical duration of study.
| Course | Faculty/College | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | College of Medicine and Health Sciences | 6 years |
| Pharmacy | Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | 5 years |
| Nursing Science | Faculty of Health Sciences | 5 years |
| Medical Laboratory Science | Faculty of Health Sciences | 5 years |
| Public Health | Faculty of Health Sciences | 4-5 years |
Medicine and Surgery is the longest and most demanding of these programmes, structured around foundational science courses in the early years followed by clinical rotations in later years, consistent with the standard MBBS training pattern used across Nigerian medical schools. Pharmacy, Nursing Science, and Medical Laboratory Science follow a similar pattern of theoretical coursework combined with laboratory and clinical placement, while Public Health leans more toward community health, epidemiology, and health policy coursework with less intensive clinical exposure than the other courses.
Admission Requirements for Medical Courses at PLASU
Admission into any of PLASU’s medical or health-related courses requires candidates to sit and pass the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by JAMB, followed by the university’s post-UTME screening exercise. Candidates need a minimum of five credit passes at the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) level or its equivalent, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, obtained in not more than two sittings.
The university’s Senate has approved a general baseline cut-off mark of 160 for admission into its programmes, though departments running specialised courses such as Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, and Medical Laboratory Science are permitted to set their own higher admission standards given how competitive these courses are nationally. Candidates interested in these courses should treat the general cut-off as a minimum threshold rather than a guarantee of consideration, since actual admission into Medicine and Surgery and similarly competitive departments typically requires scores well above the baseline, along with strong performance at the post-UTME stage.
Direct entry admission is also available for candidates holding relevant prior qualifications, such as a Higher National Diploma (HND), Ordinary National Diploma (OND) with upper credit in a related field, or an approved advanced level certificate, though direct entry slots into Medicine and Surgery specifically tend to be limited given the programme’s newness at PLASU.
School Fees for Medical Courses at PLASU
PLASU has historically maintained one of the most affordable tuition structures among Nigerian state universities. According to statements from university management, the base tuition fee for undergraduate students has remained at approximately ₦36,000 per session across most courses, a figure the vice chancellor has publicly confirmed has not been increased despite pressures affecting many other state institutions. This base tuition applies broadly across faculties, including Arts, Social Sciences, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Education.
For medical and health-related courses specifically, students should expect the base tuition to be supplemented by additional charges that do not apply to non-clinical courses. These typically include laboratory fees, practical and clinical fees, professional development levies, and departmental charges tied to equipment, specimens, and hospital-based training. Comparable state universities in Nigeria that run Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Laboratory Science programmes generally charge these courses somewhere between ₦45,000 and ₦150,000 per session once all mandatory charges are combined, even where the base tuition itself remains close to the standard university-wide figure. Given that PLASU’s College of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy are newly established, with the first cohorts admitted into these specific programmes only in the 2025/2026 academic session, exact fee breakdowns for these particular courses are still being finalised and published through the university’s official channels as the programmes mature.
Beyond tuition, all new students across every faculty at PLASU pay a non-refundable acceptance fee, currently set at ₦5,000, along with other one-time charges such as matriculation fees, identity card fees, and library fees. Health science and medical students should additionally budget for uniform costs, practical kits, and, where applicable, immunisation and medical screening requirements tied to clinical placements, all of which fall outside the standard tuition bracket.
Given the pace at which fee schedules for newly established programmes are typically confirmed and revised, prospective students applying for Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, or Public Health at PLASU should verify the exact current figures directly through the university’s official portal or bursary department before making any payment, rather than relying solely on third-party estimates.
Factors That Influence Fees for Medical Courses
Several factors explain why medical and health-related courses at PLASU, and at Nigerian universities generally, cost more than non-clinical programmes even within the same institution. Laboratory and equipment costs are the most significant driver, since courses such as Medicine and Surgery, Medical Laboratory Science, and Pharmacy require constant access to specimens, reagents, diagnostic equipment, and simulation tools that arts and social science courses do not need. Clinical placement arrangements add further cost, since students in these programmes must be attached to teaching hospitals or affiliated clinical sites for hands-on training, and these arrangements often carry hospital-linked charges. Programme newness also plays a role at PLASU specifically, since the College of Medicine and the Pharmacy faculty are still building out their infrastructure, and initial cohorts sometimes bear costs tied to establishing new facilities that later stabilise once the programme matures.
Accreditation Status of PLASU’s Medical Courses
Because PLASU’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences is a recent addition to the university, prospective students should pay close attention to its accreditation progress with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), which is the body responsible for licensing medical graduates to practise in the country. As of the university’s most recent public updates, the Medicine and Surgery programme has been progressing through the NUC’s resource verification process, a required step before a university can run a full medical degree with national recognition. Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy, and Public Health follow their own respective regulatory pathways through the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN). Applicants should confirm current accreditation status for their specific course of interest before committing to admission, since accreditation determines whether graduates can sit for professional licensing examinations after completing their studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PLASU offer Medicine and Surgery?
Yes. PLASU established a College of Medicine and Health Sciences that runs a Medicine and Surgery degree, developed in partnership with the University of Freiburg in Germany and supported by the Plateau State Government, with the programme admitting its first set of students starting in the 2025/2026 academic session.
What is the general cut-off mark for medical courses at PLASU?
The university’s Senate approved a baseline cut-off mark of 160, though departments offering specialised programmes such as Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, and Nursing Science can set higher subject-specific requirements given how competitive these courses are.
Is PLASU school fees the same for all courses, including medical courses?
Base tuition at PLASU has remained close to ₦36,000 across most courses, but medical and health-related courses typically carry additional laboratory, clinical, and professional charges on top of this base figure, making their total cost per session higher than non-clinical courses.
How long does it take to study Medicine and Surgery at PLASU?
The Medicine and Surgery programme follows the standard Nigerian MBBS structure of six years, combining pre-clinical science courses in the early years with clinical rotations in the later years of study.