A dispute over a medical student’s transcript at Maduka University, Enugu, has sparked renewed public debate on the rising cost of private university education in Nigeria and the challenges surrounding student transfer procedures amid growing economic pressures.
The issue gained widespread attention after a parent shared a viral video alleging that her daughter, a medical student at the university, was being denied access to her academic transcript as she sought to transfer to a public institution due to increasing tuition fees.
According to the parent, the student was admitted in 2024 when tuition was about N3 million. She alleged that the fees later increased to N3.5 million and subsequently rose to over N4 million, making it difficult for the family to continue funding her education.
The parent further claimed that the university demanded a high fee for transcript processing and insisted that the document would only be sent directly to another institution, rather than released to the student or family for broader use.
However, Maduka University, in a response signed by its Vice Chancellor, Professor Charles Ogbulogo, dismissed several of the allegations as inaccurate.
The institution explained that, in line with standard academic practice, official transcripts are not issued directly to students or parents but are instead sent from one institution to another. It added that the student’s father had been requested to specify the receiving institution for the transcript, a step which had not yet been completed.
The university also denied claims that it had received payment for transcript processing, and clarified that the student still owed an outstanding tuition balance of N500,000 from the previous academic session.
On the issue of fees, the institution refuted reports that tuition for medical students had risen to N4.5 million, stating that the approved fee for returning medical students for the 2026/2027 academic session, including accommodation, stands at N4,010,000.
While the university maintained that its transcript procedures and associated charges are consistent with global academic standards, the controversy has reignited concerns over the affordability of medical education in Nigeria, particularly in private universities.
Education stakeholders note that programmes in medicine and related health sciences remain among the most expensive in tertiary institutions due to laboratory demands, clinical training, and accreditation requirements.
The situation also reflects a broader trend of students moving from private to public universities as families struggle with rising inflation, tuition increases, and declining purchasing power.
Analysts say the incident goes beyond a single dispute, highlighting wider questions about access, affordability, and administrative flexibility within Nigeria’s higher education system at a time of growing economic strain.
