Accredited Medical Courses in Benin Republic: 2026 Guide

In Benin Republic, medicine, pharmacy and the other health degrees are taught at the public universities. The Ministry of Higher Education's 2026–2027 guide for new baccalauréat holders lists medicine at two faculties: the Faculty of Health Sciences (FSS) of the University of Abomey-Calavi, and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Parakou. The same guide lists no medicine, pharmacy, nursing or physiotherapy programme at any private school. This page lists the health courses in the guide, how entry works, and what Nigeria's councils ask of doctors, pharmacists and nurses trained in Benin.

One thing to know before you apply: Nigeria's evaluation of Benin and Togo degrees for NYSC is currently suspended. Your school's licence and courses are not affected. See the NYSC section below.

These are the health courses in the ministry's 2026–2027 guide, with the number of places for new students: state scholarships (bourses), plus university-aid or partly paid places where the guide lists them:

• Medicine (Médecine Générale), FSS, University of Abomey-Calavi: 95 scholarships + 20 aid or partly paid places

• Medicine (Médecine Humaine), Faculty of Medicine, University of Parakou: 100 scholarships + 30 aid or partly paid places

• Pharmacy, FSS, University of Abomey-Calavi: 18 + 10

• Physiotherapy (Kinésithérapie), FSS, University of Abomey-Calavi: 20 + 15

• Nutrition and Dietetics, FSS, University of Abomey-Calavi: 17 + 15

• Biomedical Analysis (medical laboratory), Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi (EPAC): 20 + 5

• Nursing Sciences and Obstetric (Midwifery) Sciences, INMeS Cotonou (University of Abomey-Calavi): 40 and 40 scholarships

• Nursing Care and Obstetric Care, IFSIO (University of Parakou): 50 and 50 scholarships

• Public health: Polyvalent Public Health at IRSP (University of Abomey-Calavi), 50 + 7, and Public Health and Epidemiological Surveillance at ENATSE (University of Parakou), 54 + 25

The guide and the universities publish in French, and French is Benin's official language. Plan to study in French unless the faculty tells you otherwise.

Two public faculties train doctors:

• Faculty of Health Sciences (FSS), University of Abomey-Calavi: the guide lists Médecine Générale, leading to work as a general practitioner, with options to specialise later in health sciences.

• Faculty of Medicine (FM), University of Parakou: the guide lists Médecine Humaine, leading to work as a general practitioner in hospitals and health centres. Parakou is in northern Benin, not Cotonou, so plan your accommodation there.

Both ask for a baccalauréat in series C or D (the science series). The guide ranks applicants on their three main subjects: life and earth sciences (SVT), maths and physics-chemistry. Ask the faculty how long the programme runs and which diploma you will receive before you apply.

• Pharmacy (FSS, Abomey-Calavi): leads to work as a pharmacist, with later specialisation. Bac C or D; subjects maths, physics-chemistry and life sciences.

• Physiotherapy (FSS, Abomey-Calavi): leads to work as a physiotherapist. Bac C or D.

• Nutrition and Dietetics (FSS, Abomey-Calavi): clinical nutrition in hospitals and health facilities. Bac C or D.

• Biomedical Analysis (EPAC, Abomey-Calavi): laboratory technician in health centres and research assistant. Bac C or D.

Nurses and midwives train at INMeS in Cotonou and IFSIO in Parakou. Both take students by competitive entrance exam (concours) with a C or D baccalauréat. For entry, the NMCN route for Nigerians and what to ask a private school, read our full guide to universities in Cotonou offering nursing.

The ministry's 2026–2027 guide lists no medicine, pharmacy, nursing or physiotherapy programme at any private school. The health-related programmes it lists at private schools are biomedical analysis (laboratory) licences and biomedical engineering or maintenance. IRGIB-Africa University, for example, has an approved professional licence in biomedical analysis.

If a private school offers you medicine or pharmacy, ask for the ministry authorisation for that exact programme, where your hospital training will happen, and which diploma you will receive. A school-level licence does not prove a programme is approved. Our page on accredited universities in Benin Republic shows how to check a school and a programme.

• Two ways in: ranking on your baccalauréat results (classement) or a competitive exam (concours). Medicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy and biomedical analysis use ranking. Nursing and midwifery use the exam.

• Three kinds of place: state scholarships, university aid or partly paid places, and fully paid places. The ranking covers all three.

• Where you apply: new baccalauréat holders choose their courses on the ministry's platform, apresmonbac.bj, which ranks them and assigns places at the public universities.

• Your baccalauréat series matters: every medical course in the guide asks for series C or D.

Nigerian applicants: ask the faculty at the start how your WAEC or NECO result is treated against the C or D baccalauréat requirement, and whether you can take a fully paid place.

A Benin degree leads to practice in Nigeria through the route set by each profession's own council.

Doctors (MDCN). The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria runs an assessment exam for doctors trained outside Nigeria. Its notice of 5 September 2026 (exam on 28–29 October 2026 in Kano) set these conditions:

• Your medical school must be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (wdoms.org).

• You need a current practising licence and a Certificate of Good Standing from the medical regulator of the country where you trained, not from the school.

• Five credits in English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at no more than two sittings (GCE, SSCE or NECO), and your degree certificate. A statement of results is not accepted.

• A computer-based exam, clinical exams, and an English paper for graduates of schools taught in another language.

• A non-refundable application fee of ₦250,000 for Nigerian candidates.

• Before the exam, your medical degree must be verified through EPIC or Dataflow. MDCN's 2026 schedule says only verified candidates are admitted, and candidates it sends to its remediation programme must finish it before they can sit the exam.

So check, before you enrol, that your faculty is in the World Directory, and plan to register with Benin's regulator after you graduate.

Pharmacists (PCN). The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria runs a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Orientation Programme (FPGOP) for Nigerians whose pharmacy degree was awarded by a recognised school outside Nigeria. PCN grants registration as a pharmacist only after its compulsory one-year internship programme.

Nurses and midwives (NMCN). NMCN's section for nurses trained in Benin lists, among other steps, an indexing number before the programme starts, a programme that is not online or part-time, and 18 months of training in an approved Nigerian school of nursing followed by the Council's exams. The details are in our nursing guide linked above.

For physiotherapy, nutrition and laboratory science, ask the Nigerian council for your profession how it treats a Benin degree before you enrol.

On 3 January 2024, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education suspended the accreditation of degree certificates from universities in Benin Republic and Togo, after an investigation into certificate racketeering. You can read the report and the list of affected universities at TheNigeriaLawyer.

Here is what that means for you:

• It is temporary. The resolution process is ongoing. Beninfo247 understands that the government has agreed to resolve it and that the remaining step is the Ministry of Education's public statement allowing graduates to proceed. On 11 March 2026, a House of Representatives committee recommended that the blanket invalidation be rescinded and replaced with case-by-case verification (report).

• It only affects NYSC. Until it is resolved, graduates of Benin and Togo universities cannot be mobilised for NYSC. After it is resolved, they can continue.

• Licences are not revoked and courses have not stopped. The suspension is a Nigerian decision about certificate evaluation. It is not a Benin decision. The schools on this page continue to operate and teach.

Our advice: you can study now, and plan to serve once the Ministry confirms. For the full explanation, read NYSC and Nigerian recognition for Benin Republic degrees.

We could not find published fees for fully paid places or for foreign students in medicine or pharmacy (20 October 2026), so ask the faculty directly and get the amount in writing. For typical tuition and living costs across Benin, see our tuition and accommodation guide.

Which universities in Benin Republic offer medicine? The ministry's 2026–2027 guide lists two: the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi, and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Parakou. Both are public.

Can I study medicine at a private university in Cotonou? The 2026–2027 guide lists no medicine programme at any private school. If a private school offers one, ask the school for the ministry authorisation for that programme.

Is medicine taught in English in Benin? The guide and the universities publish in French. Plan to study in French unless the faculty confirms otherwise. MDCN also sets an English paper for graduates of schools taught in another language.

Can I practise as a doctor in Nigeria with a Benin medical degree? Yes, by passing MDCN's assessment exam for foreign-trained doctors. Your school needs to be in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and you need a practising licence and a Certificate of Good Standing from the regulator in Benin.

What subjects do I need for medical courses in Benin? A baccalauréat in series C or D. The guide ranks medicine applicants on life and earth sciences, maths and physics-chemistry. Nigerian applicants should ask how WAEC or NECO is treated.