# University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences

> The University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), tracing back to 1963, runs a direct-entry, six-year, English-medium Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme at its Huye teaching campus. The school is listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools with ECFMG-certification eligibility, and its Rwandan degree carries reciprocal recognition across East African Community partner states.

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

## Key facts

- Location: Huye, [Rwanda](https://www.studentstraffic.com/countries/rwanda)
- Type: Public
- Established: 1963
- Official website: https://cmhs.ur.ac.rw/
- Published programmes on Students Traffic: 1

## Recognition and approvals

- World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS/FAIMER) -- listed, School ID F0000227
- ECFMG Certification -- graduates eligible to apply, graduation years 1967-present
- Medical Council of Canada (MCC) -- degree acceptable to Canadian medical regulatory authorities, per WDOMS Sponsor Notes
- Rwanda Medical and Dental Council (RMDC) -- reciprocal recognition across East African Community partner states
- Verify: [World Directory of Medical Schools -- University of Rwanda listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000227)
- Verify: [Rwanda Medical and Dental Council -- approved medical schools with EAC reciprocal recognition](https://rmdc.rw/spip.php?page=article&id_article=9)

## Programmes

| Programme | Course | Duration | Medium | Tuition per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)](https://www.studentstraffic.com/university-of-rwanda-cmhs-mbchb) | MBBS | 6 years | English | RWF 20,00,000 (2018-2019, reaffirmed valid 2025) |

## Why students choose it

- Listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools (FAIMER School ID F0000227), with graduates (1967-current) eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification and degrees noted as acceptable to Canadian medical regulators.
- Reciprocal recognition across East African Community partner states, per Rwanda's Medical and Dental Council's official approved-schools list.
- The university's own current fee-structure page explicitly confirms tuition is the same for national and international students -- a genuine, official, currently-reaffirmed rate rather than a domestic-only figure.

## Things to consider

- The confirmed tuition figure (RWF 2,000,000/year) is a 2018-set rate that the university's own site explicitly reaffirms as 'valid until further notice' as of a 2025 page update -- not a freshly issued 2026 figure; confirm the current rate directly before committing.
- No 2026/27 admissions cycle had been published as of this record's research date; the most recent confirmed cycle (2025/26) ran a March application window and a September window, both already closed -- confirm current dates directly with the university.
- On-campus accommodation is severely oversubscribed at Huye Campus, and no specific campus logistics fee is published; budget for the likelihood of private off-campus housing.

## Best fit for

- Students seeking a WHO-listed, ECFMG-eligible, direct-entry medical degree at Rwanda's oldest public medical school, with tuition explicitly equal for domestic and international students.
- Applicants comfortable completing a NESA foreign-qualification equivalence step and a competitive entrance test plus interview process.
- Students who can confirm current-cycle deadlines and accommodation options directly with the university, given some figures are not yet published for the upcoming cycle.

## Campus and city

MBChB students study at the University of Rwanda's Huye Campus (the former National University of Rwanda site), while CMHS's central administrative headquarters is based in Kigali; international applicants use a dedicated online application track separate from the domestic admissions flow.

Huye (formerly Butare) is a university town in southern Rwanda and home to Rwanda's first teaching hospital, CHUB (University Teaching Hospital of Butare), while CMHS's administrative headquarters sits in Kigali, Rwanda's capital.

The six-year MBChB programme is delivered at Huye Campus, with clinical training expected across Rwanda Medical and Dental Council-accredited teaching hospitals such as CHUK (University Teaching Hospital of Kigali) and CHUB (University Teaching Hospital of Butare), though a detailed year-by-year preclinical/clinical curriculum breakdown was not published on the university's own admissions pages. Graduates complete a mandatory one-year internship at an RMDC-designated centre before full registration.


## Hostel, food and safety

On-campus hostel capacity at Huye Campus is severely constrained -- roughly 3,000 beds against 6,000-plus new arrivals in a single recent intake, with only about 23% of the undergraduate population housed on-campus overall. No specific accommodation fee figure could be confirmed from official university pages; local reporting describes off-campus private rentals in Huye as being in short supply and priced up during intake season, so international applicants should budget for this and confirm current options directly with the university.

No specific university-run meal-plan cost is published.

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

International applicants use a dedicated online track at efiling.ur.ac.rw, submitting a NESA foreign-qualification equivalence certificate alongside standard application documents, distinct from the domestic student application flow.


## Frequently asked questions

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

Yes. The WHO World Directory of Medical Schools confirms admission follows completion of secondary education, with no prior university degree required.

### What qualification is awarded on graduation?

Graduates receive the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree after six years of study, followed by a mandatory one-year internship at an RMDC-designated centre.

### What is the current tuition fee?

RWF 2,000,000 per year (roughly USD 1,360-1,400), a rate explicitly confirmed as the same for national and international students on the university's own fee-structure page. This is a 2018-set rate reaffirmed as still valid; confirm the current rate directly with the university.

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

Applicants with foreign certificates, such as Indian 12th-grade results, must have their qualification equivalency assessed by Rwanda's National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) as part of the international-applicant admissions track.

### Is there an entrance exam?

Yes. Admission requires a comprehensive clinical aptitude entrance test plus an interview, weighted alongside secondary-school academic performance in a competitive, capped-intake selection process.

### Is there a separate application fee for international students?

Yes. RWF 6,000 for international (non-East-African-Community) applicants, compared to RWF 5,000 for Rwandan and EAC applicants, payable through the university's Urubuto payment system.

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

No 2026/27 cycle had been published as of this record's research date. The most recent confirmed cycle ran a March application window and a September window (both since closed), with registration in the September-October period -- confirm current dates directly with the university.

### Is university accommodation available?

On-campus campus logistics capacity at Huye Campus is severely constrained, with only about 23% of the undergraduate population housed on-campus; no specific accommodation fee is published, so budget for likely off-campus private housing.

### Can this degree be used to practice medicine outside Rwanda?

The degree carries reciprocal recognition across East African Community partner states. For India specifically, graduates would need to separately satisfy India's National Medical Commission screening requirements; this was not independently verified against an NMC source.


## Sources

- [World Directory of Medical Schools -- University of Rwanda listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000227) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [Rwanda Medical and Dental Council -- approved medical schools with EAC reciprocal recognition](https://rmdc.rw/spip.php?page=article&id_article=9) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [University of Rwanda -- 2025 CMHS entry requirements (PDF)](https://ur.ac.rw/IMG/pdf/2025_entry_requirements-2.pdf) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [University of Rwanda -- fee structure page](https://ur.ac.rw/spip.php?page=university-fees-structure) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [University of Rwanda -- signed 2018 fee structure (PDF)](https://ur.ac.rw/IMG/pdf/ur_signed_fee_structure_without_diploma-pivote.pdf) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [The New Times (Rwanda) -- UR Huye Campus grapples with student accommodation](https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/30931/news/education/ur-huye-campus-grapples-with-student-accommodation-as-academic-year-starts/amp) (checked 2026-07-25)

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