University of Ilorin's Breach of Admission Quota Leaves Graduates Stranded

The University of Ilorin's serious breach of its assigned admission quota for the Medicine and Surgery program has left nearly 50 graduates in limbo, unable to secure their induction into the medical field six months following their graduation.

As of now, at least 44 MBBS graduates are still waiting with no date set for their induction or enrollment for their housemanship or the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as the university has not yet presented them to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for the necessary induction.

The MDCN has specified that the university's maximum admission quota for its MBBS program stands at 150 students. However, UNILORIN flagrantly disregarded this limit by admitting over 200 students back in 2017 and is currently endeavoring to hide this transgression from the MDCN.

The MDCN is responsible for overseeing the training of medical practitioners, which includes doctors and dentists.

Close to 194 medical students from UNILORIN satisfied the conditions for the MBBS degree last year. However, to obscure its quota infringement, the university reported only 150 graduates for induction to the MDCN. Consequently, the remaining 44 graduates have faced a protracted wait without any prospects for induction, housemanship, or NYSC engagements.

One affected graduate remarked, “Out of 194, 175 of us passed the exam in one sitting, but only 150 were inducted, leaving 25 of us stranded. The other 14 who needed to retake the exam have since passed. Thus, 44 of us remain unclaimed.”

Despite students voicing their concerns and staging protests, the university has not acted. This sentiment was echoed by multiple students who recounted efforts to engage with the university’s College of Health Sciences.

Professor Biodun Sulyman, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, acknowledged that the institution breached its admission quota.

A statement from Kunle Akogun, the spokesperson for the university, cited Mr. Sulyman’s remarks concerning ongoing advocacy efforts with the MDCN for the induction of the remaining graduates, although no progress has been reported.

Mr. Sulyman explained, "194 students took the final MBBS exams; 175 passed outrightly while 19 required resits. We approached the MDCN for them to proceed with the induction, but were informed that we could only induct 150 according to our approved quota. We were directed to rank the graduates, and the top 150 of the 175 were inducted last November."

The university also indicated that the government’s recent announcement to raise the admission quota for medical students has yet to be actioned, a decision that was only made last year, while Unilorin’s violation dates back nearly a decade.

Several students have pointed out that the issue did not cease in 2017, as subsequent admissions in 2018 also exceeded the usual quota of 150, surpassing 200.

On November 14, 2025, UNILORIN formally inducted 150 new medical doctors into the profession, with Vice-Chancellor Wahab Egbewole, a professor, referring to them as the ‘golden set’. The selection process involved ranking graduates to determine who would be inducted, a move that has generated frustration among those left out.

Graduates opposed to the ranking decision initially circulated a petition against the university but later withdrew it out of fear of repercussions, with some stating, “The class felt they could not risk their own induction by taking a stand.”

Students lamented that a six-year program had already extended to eight years due to disruptions caused by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes and the COVID-19 pandemic, and now further delays were compounding their situation.

A week after the induction, some of the graduates met with Provost Sulyman to express their dissatisfaction. They reported that he assured them he would engage with the MDCN to facilitate their induction within a timeframe of six to eight weeks.

However, when the graduates followed up after eight weeks, excuses were given that the MDCN's Registrar was unreachable and that the quota concern was excessive.

Nigerian universities frequently breach admission quotas set by regulatory bodies like the MDCN and the Council for Legal Education, placing the burden on students.

For instance, last year, the MDCN declined to induct over 300 graduates from the University of Calabar’s Faculty of Dentistry because the institution admitted students beyond its prescribed quota. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Council for Legal Education enforced a five-year ban on student admissions to Baze University's law faculty for breaching strict admission guidelines.

Prof. Isa Chiroma, Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, noted that Baze University had perpetually exceeded its admission limits, resulting in a backlog of over 347 students awaiting induction into the Nigerian Law School.