UNIMED debunks tuition hike, says only new students affected

The University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, has debunked reports in the media alleging that it recently increased tuition fees across the board, describing the claim as misleading.

According to the reports, some parents had expressed concerns that the institution had hiked its fees.

However, in a statement issued on Friday by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Isaac Oluyi, the management clarified that there was no blanket increment, stressing that the adjustment only applied to newly admitted students and not to returning students.

Oluyi said the report misrepresented the facts, urging the public to disregard it.

The statement partly read, “It is considered pertinent to put the records straight that the university did not increase the fees of returning students as reported. It is a misrepresentation of the situation on the fee increment. All returning undergraduates are to pay the old fees. So, there is no need for any parent to be agitated as UNIMED, Ondo will not do anything to inflict pain on its stakeholders, the most critical being the students and parents.

” As mentioned in the report, the slight adjustment in fees only affects newly admitted students, particularly those admitted for the university’s professional programmes. It was not an easy decision by the management, but it had to be made to ensure that the institution continues to deliver the best medical and health sciences education.

It also needs to be stressed that there are no hidden charges by the university. The university is transparent in its dealings. Using the fee for medicine to generalise the fees for other programmes is at best mischievous! The fees at UNIMED are not one-size-fits-all. We have programmes of N450, 000.00, N350, 000.00, , to N150, 000.00. ”

The statement advised whoever is concerned to get in touch with the university to get the facts, stating, “We are aware of the economic realities of the country and will never deliberately compound the situation with our decision.”

UNIMED, Ondo, established in 2015 as Nigeria’s first specialised medical university, has grown into a leading institution for training healthcare professionals.

Like many public universities, UNIMED faces the challenge of balancing quality education delivery with the economic realities of a country grappling with inflation and dwindling government subventions.

In recent years, tuition hikes across Nigerian universities have triggered public debates, with students and parents often protesting adjustments perceived as burdensome.

Institutions, on the other hand, argue that rising operational costs, including laboratory equipment, research needs, and staff welfare, make modest adjustments inevitable.

Cupped from Punch.