Kano State, the commercial and educational hub of Northern Nigeria, hosts one of the country’s most established federal medical training programmes alongside two newer institutions expanding the state’s capacity to train doctors. This article explains which universities in Kano State currently offer Medicine and Surgery, how their fee structures compare for the 2026/2027 academic session, and what a prospective student should know about each option’s accreditation status.
Medical Schools Located in Kano State
Three institutions in Kano State currently run, or are developing, Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programmes:
- Bayero University Kano (BUK) College of Health Sciences – a federal university, and the longest-established medical training institution in the state, with full MDCN accreditation.
- Northwest University, Kano (formerly Yusuf Maitama Sule University) – a state university that admitted its first cohort of medical students in 2020, with a College of Health Sciences that continues to develop toward full recognition.
- Elrazi Medical University, Kano – a newer private university dedicated specifically to medical and health sciences education, currently operating under a provisional National Universities Commission licence while its accreditation process continues.
BUK’s clinical training is delivered through Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, one of the major federal teaching hospitals in Northern Nigeria. Northwest University’s medical students train through the university’s own teaching hospital, established in 2017 to support the College of Health Sciences. Elrazi Medical University, located at Yargaya on the outskirts of Kano city, was established through a partnership involving an existing medical university in Sudan and a local science academy, and is still finalizing its full licensing status with Nigerian regulators.
Why Fees Differ Across the Three Schools
The fee gap between these institutions follows the familiar pattern seen across Nigerian medical education, driven primarily by ownership and how established each programme is.
- Federal university (BUK): Receives direct government subvention, which keeps its overall tuition among the more affordable options in the country, including for medicine, and this applies uniformly to Nigerian students regardless of state of origin.
- State university (Northwest University, Kano): Receives funding from the Kano State Government, with general fees historically kept low, though the university has revised its fee schedule in recent sessions, and medicine specifically is billed at a higher rate than the university’s non-clinical programmes.
- Private university (Elrazi Medical University): Operates without government subvention as a specialized medical institution, and its fee structure, still being finalized as the university completes its accreditation process, is expected to sit well above what either BUK or Northwest University charges.
Fee Comparison Table for Medical Schools in Kano State (2026/2027)
| Institution | Ownership | Accreditation Status | Approx. Fee per Session (₦) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayero University Kano (BUK) College of Health Sciences | Federal | Fully accredited | 160,500 – 250,000 | Highest fee band among BUK’s faculties; uniform for Nigerian students |
| Northwest University, Kano College of Health Sciences | State | Developing toward full recognition | Higher than the university’s general 35,000 – 120,000 non-medicine range | Exact medicine-specific figure varies by cohort; confirm directly with the university |
| Elrazi Medical University, Kano | Private | Provisional NUC licence, accreditation in progress | Not yet consistently published | Hostel charges alone range from ₦750,000 to ₦1,000,000 per session; tuition figures should be confirmed directly with the university |
These figures reflect tuition-related charges only and exclude accommodation, feeding, textbooks, and clinical materials. Because Northwest University and Elrazi Medical University are both still developing their programmes and fee schedules, prospective students should treat any published figures for these two institutions as provisional and confirm the exact current amount directly with the admissions or bursary office before making any financial commitment.
Bayero University Kano (BUK) College of Health Sciences
Bayero University Kano, established in 1975 as the first university in Kano State, runs one of the most respected medical training programmes in Northern Nigeria through its Department of Medicine and Surgery within the College of Health Sciences. Clinical training is delivered through Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which serves as a major referral centre for the wider Northern Nigerian region.
As a federal institution, BUK’s fee structure keeps Medicine and Surgery as its highest-charged programme, reflecting the cost of clinical training, laboratory equipment, and specialized teaching associated with medical education, though the amount remains modest relative to state or private alternatives. Fresh students pay a relatively small non-refundable acceptance fee shortly after admission, along with general registration charges that apply across all faculties, and additional faculty-specific dues for programmes like medicine. Returning students pay noticeably less than fresh students, since one-time charges such as acceptance and initial registration fees apply only in the first year.
Admission into BUK’s medicine programme is highly competitive, with a UTME cut-off mark significantly above the university’s general baseline, currently among the highest cut-offs for any course at the institution. Candidates also need five credit passes in relevant O’Level subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and a strong performance in the university’s post-UTME screening process.
Northwest University, Kano College of Health Sciences
Northwest University, Kano, previously known as Yusuf Maitama Sule University, is a state-owned institution established in 2012 as Kano State’s second public university. Its College of Health Sciences launched a teaching hospital in 2017 and admitted its first cohort of medical students in 2020, making it a considerably newer entrant into medical training compared to BUK.
As the programme continues developing toward the level of established recognition held by older medical schools, its fee structure for medicine specifically is less consistently documented than its general undergraduate fees, which have historically ranged from roughly ₦35,000 to ₦120,000 across faculties, though recent sessions have seen upward revisions to the university’s overall fee schedule. Medicine and other clinical health science programmes are billed at a higher rate than the university’s non-clinical courses, consistent with the pattern seen at other Nigerian medical schools.
Given that both the programme’s clinical infrastructure and its fee schedule are still evolving, prospective applicants interested in Northwest University’s MBBS programme should verify the current accreditation status and exact fee amount directly with the university’s College of Health Sciences before applying, rather than relying on general undergraduate fee figures.
Elrazi Medical University, Kano
Elrazi Medical University, Kano is a specialized private medical university located at Yargaya, on the outskirts of Kano city. It was established through a partnership between an existing medical university based in Sudan and a Kano-based science academy, with the goal of training doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and other healthcare professionals for Northern Nigeria and beyond. Its College of Medicine offers Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) alongside related programmes such as Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, and Physiotherapy.
As of the most recent information available, Elrazi Medical University operates under a provisional licence from the National Universities Commission, with a formal assessment process underway toward full accreditation. This means the university is legally permitted to admit and train students while it continues to meet regulatory requirements for facilities, staffing, and curriculum standards. Its fee structure covers tuition, clinical practice charges, medical and health services, library access, and student activities, billed separately from hostel accommodation, which itself ranges from roughly ₦750,000 to ₦1,000,000 per session depending on room occupancy. Because the university is newly established and its fee schedule has not been consistently published across sessions, prospective applicants should request the current tuition breakdown directly from the university before applying.
What Drives the Cost of Medicine Regardless of School
Certain cost factors apply across any Nigerian university running a medicine programme, in Kano State or elsewhere:
- Six-year programme length – MBBS training runs longer than most undergraduate degrees, extending the total number of sessions a student pays tuition for.
- Laboratory and clinical infrastructure – anatomy dissection facilities, simulation equipment, and specialized teaching materials require ongoing investment, particularly for newer medical colleges still building out their facilities.
- Teaching hospital partnerships – access to a functioning teaching hospital for clinical rotations is central to medical training, and institutions with long-established partnerships, like BUK’s relationship with Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, generally carry lower incremental cost than newer institutions building these relationships from scratch.
- Accreditation compliance – meeting MDCN and NUC standards for facilities, staffing ratios, and curriculum quality carries an ongoing cost, which is often reflected more heavily in tuition during a programme’s early years, as seen at Northwest University and Elrazi Medical University.
Admission Requirements Common to All Three Schools
While specific cut-off marks and screening processes differ, medicine admission in Kano State generally follows this pattern:
- Five credit passes at O’Level, including English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, obtained in not more than two sittings.
- A UTME score that clears the specific cut-off mark set for medicine, which sits well above the general baseline cut-off applied to non-competitive courses at each institution.
- Successful completion of the institution’s post-UTME or entrance screening exercise.
- Selection of the institution as first choice on the JAMB portal, since medicine admission typically requires this across Nigerian universities.
How to Pay Fees at These Institutions
All three institutions process payments electronically, though procedures vary slightly. The general process follows this pattern:
- Log in to the university’s student portal using the matriculation number or JAMB registration number and assigned password.
- Select the current session (2026/2027) and generate an invoice for the applicable fee category.
- Retrieve the payment reference number generated by the portal, typically through the Remita platform for federal and state institutions.
- Complete payment through a debit card, bank transfer, USSD, or a designated bank branch linked to the payment platform.
- Print or save the payment receipt for registration and clearance purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical school in Kano State is the most established?
Bayero University Kano is the most established, having run its medicine programme for decades with full MDCN accreditation and a long-standing clinical training partnership with Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
Is Northwest University Kano’s medicine programme fully accredited?
Northwest University’s Medicine and Surgery programme is newer, having admitted its first cohort in 2020, and continues working through the accreditation process. Prospective applicants should confirm the current status directly with the university or the MDCN before applying.
Is Elrazi Medical University a recognized university in Nigeria?
Elrazi Medical University currently operates under a provisional licence from the National Universities Commission, with full accreditation assessment ongoing. It is a legally registered institution permitted to admit students, but applicants should confirm its current licensing status before committing to admission.
Which medical school in Kano State is the most affordable?
Bayero University Kano offers the lowest and most predictable fee structure among the three, since it is a federal institution with government subvention keeping its overall tuition, including for medicine, relatively low.