Borno State University, now officially known as Kashim Ibrahim University (KIU), Maiduguri, runs an accredited Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme under its Faculty of Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences. This article gives a direct, detailed breakdown of what the MBBS programme costs for the 2026/2027 academic session, what the fee covers, and what else a prospective medical student should budget for beyond tuition.
A Note on the University’s Current Name
Borno State University was officially renamed Kashim Ibrahim University in 2025, following approval by the Borno State Government to honour Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the first Governor of the defunct Northern Nigeria Region. The renaming took full effect from August 2025. Since most search activity and public records still reference the institution as “Borno State University” or “BOSU,” this article uses both names interchangeably, as they refer to the same university located in Maiduguri with the same MBBS programme, fee structure, and admission process.
Does This University Run a Full MBBS Programme?
Yes. Medicine and Surgery is offered as a full six-year clinical undergraduate degree at this university, supported by a teaching hospital that provides the hospital-based training component required in the later years of the programme. This places the institution among a small number of state-owned universities in the North-East geopolitical zone with an active, accredited medical training pathway, alongside its other allied health courses such as Nursing Science, Physiotherapy, Radiography, and Medical Laboratory Science.
Because MBBS accreditation for any Nigerian medical school is reviewed periodically by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC), prospective applicants should still confirm the current accreditation status of the specific programme directly through the university’s College of Health Sciences or admissions office before applying, rather than relying solely on general assurances.
Medicine and Surgery School Fees for 2026/2027
The university charges MBBS tuition on a tiered basis, depending on whether the student is an indigene of Borno State, a non-indigene from elsewhere in Nigeria, or a foreign student. Indigene students benefit from a tuition waiver, meaning the amount they pay largely represents consolidated registration, laboratory, and service charges rather than tuition itself, while non-indigene and foreign students pay a combined total that includes an added tuition component.
| Student Category | Fresh Student Fee (₦) |
|---|---|
| Indigene of Borno State | 150,000 |
| Non-indigene (other Nigerian states) | 250,000 |
| Foreign student | 330,000 |
This fee structure applies specifically to the Medicine and Surgery programme and is noticeably higher than what the university charges for its other allied health courses, such as Nursing Science, Physiotherapy, Radiography, and Medical Laboratory Science, which carry lower consolidated fees across all three residency categories. The gap reflects the additional cost of running a full clinical MBBS programme, including cadaver and specimen materials for anatomy instruction, extended laboratory access, and coordination with the teaching hospital for supervised clinical rotations in the senior years of the course.
What the MBBS Fee Includes
The figures above represent a consolidated total rather than tuition charged in isolation. For indigene students specifically, since tuition is waived, the ₦150,000 figure covers registration fees, laboratory and practical charges tied to the more intensive coursework medicine requires, student services and facility levies, and identity card processing. Non-indigene and foreign students pay these same categories of charges plus the added tuition component that accounts for the higher totals in their respective columns. This consolidated approach is standard practice at this university across all its faculties, not unique to the medical programme, though the medical college’s laboratory and practical charges sit above what general Science, Arts, or Social Science students pay each session.
Additional Compulsory Charges for MBBS Students
Beyond the programme-specific fee above, every newly admitted student at this university, including those admitted into Medicine and Surgery, pays certain additional charges that apply university-wide:
- Acceptance fee: a one-time, non-refundable ₦10,000 charge paid to confirm an admission offer once a candidate is admitted.
- Hostel accommodation: a subsidised fee of ₦25,000 per academic session for students who choose to live in university hostel facilities, considerably lower than typical off-campus rent in Maiduguri.
- Late registration penalty: a flat ₦5,000 charge applied to any student, medical or otherwise, who completes their fee payment and registration after the university’s stated deadline.
These charges apply on top of the tuition figures in the table above and should be factored into a complete budget for the session, alongside personal costs that the university’s official fee schedule does not cover, such as lab coats, stethoscopes, clinical instruments, and textbooks, all of which MBBS students need from their preclinical years onward.
Why MBBS Costs More Than Other Courses at This University
The fee gap between Medicine and Surgery and the university’s other programmes, including its own allied health courses, reflects the scale of infrastructure a clinical medical degree requires. Running an MBBS programme involves cadaver-based anatomy instruction, extensive laboratory access across preclinical years, and a structured clinical rotation system coordinated with the university’s teaching hospital for the senior clinical years of the course. These recurring costs are reflected in the higher registration and laboratory components built into the MBBS consolidated fee, even though the total remains considerably lower than what a private Nigerian university would charge for an equivalent medicine and surgery degree, particularly for Borno State indigenes who benefit from the tuition waiver that keeps their overall cost close to the ₦150,000 mark.
Admission Requirements for Medicine and Surgery
Meeting the fee obligation is only part of securing MBBS admission. Candidates also need to meet the following academic conditions:
- Five O’Level credits, including English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics, obtained from WAEC, NECO, or an equivalent examination body, in not more than two sittings.
- A UTME subject combination of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and English Language, the standard JAMB requirement for medicine and surgery applications nationwide.
- A UTME score meeting the departmental cut-off mark for MBBS, which stands considerably higher than the university’s general institutional minimum, given how competitive medical admission is relative to available slots. For the 2026/2027 cycle, this threshold sits at 250 for candidates on the merit list and 220 for candidates admitted through other categories, well above the general university minimum of 150.
- Successful completion of the university’s Post-UTME screening exercise, conducted after JAMB releases UTME results, which may run physically on campus or online depending on the arrangement for that admission cycle.
- Verifiable O’Level results at the point of screening, since candidates still awaiting WAEC or NECO results are not considered for admission into MBBS or any other competitive programme at this university.
Payment Process and Registration Timeline
Newly admitted MBBS students typically complete their fee payment through the university’s official student portal, using a generated invoice tied to their admission and matriculation number, after which they proceed to physical or online course registration for the session. Because MBBS is a six-year programme with distinct preclinical and clinical phases, returning MBBS students should also expect to pay a session fee each year, which may differ slightly from the fresh-student figures above once laboratory and clinical placement charges specific to each year of study are factored in. Candidates and their sponsors are advised to confirm the exact current figure and payment deadline for their specific level of study directly through the university’s College of Health Sciences or bursary department, since these figures are reviewed and communicated at the start of each academic session.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Medicine and Surgery cost for an indigene student at Borno State University?
Indigene students pay a consolidated fee of ₦150,000 for MBBS as fresh students, since tuition is waived for indigenes of Borno State.
How much do non-indigene and foreign students pay for MBBS?
Non-indigene students pay ₦250,000, while foreign students pay ₦330,000 for the Medicine and Surgery programme as fresh students.
Is Borno State University the same as Kashim Ibrahim University?
Yes. Borno State University was officially renamed Kashim Ibrahim University in 2025. Both names refer to the same institution in Maiduguri offering the same MBBS programme.
What is the cut-off mark for MBBS at this university for 2026/2027?
The MBBS cut-off mark for 2026/2027 stands at 250 for merit candidates and 220 for candidates admitted through other categories, considerably higher than the university’s general minimum of 150.
Are there other charges besides the MBBS tuition fee?
Yes. Students also pay a one-time acceptance fee of ₦10,000 and, for those in hostel accommodation, a subsidised hostel fee of ₦25,000 per session, in addition to personal costs like lab coats and clinical instruments not covered by the official fee schedule.