# Makerere University College of Health Sciences

> Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), one of East Africa's oldest medical schools, runs a direct-entry, five-year, English-medium MBChB programme on the Mulago Hill campus within Uganda's Mulago National Referral Hospital complex. The school is listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools with ECFMG-certification eligibility, and is first on Uganda's official approved-medical-school list.

- Canonical page: https://www.studentstraffic.com/university/makerere-university-college-of-health-sciences
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-12
- Publisher: Students Traffic (https://www.studentstraffic.com/)

## Key facts

- Location: Kampala, [Uganda](https://www.studentstraffic.com/countries/uganda)
- Type: Public
- Established: 1949
- Official website: https://chs.mak.ac.ug/
- Published programmes on Students Traffic: 1

## Recognition and approvals

- World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS/FAIMER) -- listed, School ID F0000173
- ECFMG Certification -- graduates eligible to apply, graduation years 1953-present
- Medical Council of Canada (MCC) -- degree acceptable to Canadian provincial/territorial medical regulatory authorities, per WDOMS Sponsor Notes
- Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) -- first-listed approved medical school in Uganda
- Verify: [World Directory of Medical Schools -- Makerere University listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000173)
- Verify: [Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council -- approved medical schools](https://umdpc.go.ug/)

## Programmes

| Programme | Course | Duration | Medium | Tuition per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)](https://www.studentstraffic.com/makerere-university-college-of-health-sciences-mbchb) | MBBS | 5 years | English | UGX 68,13,520 (2025-2026) |

## Why students choose it

- Listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools (FAIMER School ID F0000173), with graduates (1953-current) eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification, and degrees noted as acceptable to Canadian provincial/territorial medical regulators.
- The first institution named on the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council's official list of approved medical and dental schools.
- No entrance exam is required for the standard direct-entry MBChB route, per the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools.

## Things to consider

- The most recent officially published tuition figures found are from the 2025/26 academic year; no 2026/27 fee-structure document had been published on Makerere's own site as of this record's research date, so the figures below should be reconfirmed for the current cycle.
- The 2026/27 general application deadline (22 May 2026) has already passed; based on the historical pattern (applications open mid-April, close mid-May, academic year begins in August), a 2027/28 cycle would be the next actionable window, but exact dates have not yet been announced.
- No dedicated scholarship for international (including Indian) MBChB applicants was found; the university's MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program is restricted to African nationals.

## Best fit for

- Students seeking a WHO-listed, ECFMG-eligible, English-medium direct-entry medical degree at one of East Africa's most established medical schools.
- Applicants comfortable with a straightforward, no-entrance-exam admissions process centered on secondary-school academic results.
- Students who can plan ahead for the historical April-to-May application window and confirm current-cycle dates directly with the university.

## Campus and city

International students study at the School of Medicine's Mulago Hill campus, directly within Uganda's largest referral hospital complex, supported by a dedicated International Coordination Office that helps organize accommodation and runs a cultural-integration 'Global Friends' buddy programme.

Kampala is Uganda's capital, home to Makerere University's main campus and the Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital complex where the College of Health Sciences is based, giving students direct daily exposure to one of East Africa's largest public hospitals.

The five-year, competency-based MBChB curriculum runs a Pre-Clinical Phase in Years 1-2 followed by a Clinical Phase in Years 3-5, spanning 62 courses across 9 competency domains, with clinical placements at Mulago National Referral Hospital and other affiliated teaching sites coordinated by the College's International Coordination Office.


## Hostel, food and safety

Galloway Hostel at Mulago accommodates continuing College of Health Sciences undergraduates, with an exception made for 5th-year medical students to reside there; the wider university also operates 9 general Halls of Residence and a graded private-hostel network near campus, including a hostel specifically named for international students. No specific accommodation cost was published on the pages reached during research; the International Coordination Office helps organize accommodation but does not publish rates online.

No specific university-run meal-plan cost is published; students typically access dining through campus and hostel facilities.

No university-published campus-safety statistics were found during research.

International applicants apply through Makerere's own online portal, are guided by the School of Medicine's International Coordination Office, and can have foreign secondary-school documents equated via the Uganda National Examinations Board's official online equating portal.


## Frequently asked questions

### Is the MBChB programme direct-entry after high school?

Yes. Direct entry requires a UCE (O-Level) certificate with at least 5 passes and two UACE (A-Level) Principal Passes at the same sitting, with Biology and Chemistry as essential subjects; no prior university degree is required, and no entrance exam applies.

### What qualification is awarded on graduation?

Graduates receive the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree after five years of study, structured as a Pre-Clinical Phase (Years 1-2) and a Clinical Phase (Years 3-5).

### How are foreign secondary-school qualifications evaluated?

Applicants with foreign certificates, such as Indian 12th-grade results, use the Uganda National Examinations Board's official online equating portal to have their qualifications assessed against Uganda's UACE standard.

### What is the current tuition fee?

The most recently published official figures (2025/26 academic year) show international tuition of UGX 3,406,760 per semester (UGX 6,813,520/year), roughly double the domestic Ugandan/East African rate, plus mandatory functional fees. No 2026/27 update had been published as of this record's research date, so this figure should be reconfirmed.

### Is there a separate application fee?

Yes. A non-refundable US$75 (or UGX equivalent, plus bank charges) application fee applies for international applicants, confirmed identically across two consecutive years of official fee announcements.

### Is there a written entrance exam?

No. The WHO World Directory of Medical Schools confirms no entrance exam is required for the MBChB programme; admission is based on secondary-school academic results.

### When can I apply and when does the academic year start?

Historically, applications open in mid-April and close in mid-to-late May, with the academic year beginning in August. The 2026/27 deadline (22 May 2026) has already passed, and 2027/28 dates had not yet been announced as of this record's research date.

### Is university accommodation available?

Galloway campus logistics at Mulago accommodates continuing College of Health Sciences students (with an exception for 5th-year medical students), and a graded private-campus logistics network near campus includes one specifically for international students. No specific accommodation cost was published; confirm directly with the International Coordination Office.

### Do Indian students need NEET to join this programme?

The university's own admissions criteria do not reference NEET. Separately, India's National Medical Commission requires Indian citizens who obtain a primary medical qualification abroad to have qualified NEET-UG and, on return, to clear its Foreign Medical Graduate licensure pathway; this general framework was not independently verified against an NMC source for this specific programme.


## Sources

- [World Directory of Medical Schools -- Makerere University listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000173) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council -- approved medical schools](https://umdpc.go.ug/) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Makerere University -- 2025/2026 undergraduate admission advertisement (PDF)](https://news.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Advert-Mak-PRIVATE-Undergraduate-ADMISSION-2025-2026.pdf) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Makerere University -- instructions for international students](https://mak.ac.ug/how-apply/instructions-international-students) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Makerere University College of Health Sciences -- Direct Entry admission requirements](https://chs.mak.ac.ug/page/admission-requirements-undergraduate-programmes-direct-entry-alevel-secondary-school) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Makerere School of Medicine -- About Us](https://som.mak.ac.ug/about-us/) (checked 2026-07-25)

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