The October 2025 Pre-MBBS results at the College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), left many students stunned. Of the 155 MBBS students who sat for the examination, only 90 progressed to the next class, while 60 repeated and five were withdrawn from the college. Similar patterns emerged in Dentistry and Pharmacy, raising concerns about the cause of this with regards to academic standards, student preparedness, and institutional support.

Across Nigeria,over time, stories of academic pressure among health science students have been common. In March 2026, news broke that Ifeoluwa Akinmade, a medical student at the University of Ibadan (UI), had reportedly taken his own life after struggling with low continuous assessment scores. Ditto to Ajibola Ibitayo, a Dentistry student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), who in August 2025, reportedly died by suicide after failing an examination for the second time.

Medical schools across Nigeria are known for their strict preservation of excellence and zero tolerance for poor academic performance and UDUS is no different. Students studying to become health professionals gain admission with little knowledge of the hurdles that lie ahead. For some, it is smooth sailing; for others, a bumpy road; and for a few, a journey that never reaches its destination.

The policy for UDUS students studying health-related courses is that they sit for examinations, those who have below 50 as aggregate score; the benchmark for passing any course, are given a second chance through a resit or are required to repeat the year as per the number of failed courses. However, any student who repeats the same class twice is withdrawn from the college. 

The strictness of this pass policy may be understood as a way of ensuring those who will be custodian of human lives have the required knowledge required without any compromise. Consequently, these students are expected to work hard, study for long hours, and master complex concepts. This explains why admission requirements for health-related courses remain among the highest in the country.

The Results That Shocked a College

It is normal for a few casualties to emerge whenever examination results are released. But when the College of Health Sciences released the results of the 200-level students who sat for the October 2025 Pre-MBBS examination, the outcome was nothing short of alarming.

Out of 13 Dentistry students who sat for the examination, three repeated while ten were promoted. Of the ten promoted students, five passed with warnings, meaning they failed one or two of the five courses examined.

For Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) students, the picture was even gloomier. Out of 155 students who sat for the examination, only 90 progressed to the next class. Sixty students repeated, while five were withdrawn from the college. Of the 90 promoted students, only 63 passed all three courses. In other words, only 40.6 percent of the class cleared every course without a resit, repeat, or warning.

This situation is not limited to MBBS and Dentistry students. When the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences released its results, students were equally stunned. Out of 97 students who sat for the examination, only 14 students progressed without a resit or repeat. Seventy students had resits, two repeated, and eleven were withdrawn.

The figures stood in sharp contrast to previous years. In the 2024 academic session, for example, the pass rate was 87.2 percent as out of 125 students who sat for the exams, 109 passed and moved to the next class. The difference has prompted discussions among students about what may have contributed to the unusually poor performance.

Questions such as, “What went wrong?”, “ Was it a student problem, a college problem, or the product of multiple factors colliding at once?”,  “Are students becoming less academically prepared?”, “Has the quality of training changed?” emerged as the results attracted attention from students and the wider academic community. 

To answer these questions, Gamji Press reporters Muizat Abubakar and Olarinde Sodiq interviewed students and staff members of the affected faculties.

When Preparation Meets Uncertainty

Medical students often rely heavily on the experiences of their seniors when preparing for examinations. While this strategy has worked for many generations of students, the class that sat for the 2025 Pre-MBBS examination appeared to run out of luck. Several departments reportedly changed their examination patterns, leaving many students destabilized in the examination hall.

For Khadija Abubakar, a 300-level Dentistry student and a member of the affected class, the examination itself was a major challenge. “I wasn’t expecting such questions. The Department of Anatomy changed the pattern of the examination from long essays to short essays, and this caught many of us off guard,” she said.

She suggested that the students’ association should organize pre-examination debriefing sessions to better prepare students for what to expect.

Commenting on the situation, Abdussamad Akib, now a 300-level student, reflected on the hidden struggles within the class. “Alhamdulillah, I passed. We spent ten months in the class, and many of us were oblivious to the true weight of the college. Some students started on the right foot but became exhausted along the way.”

He also pointed to the influence of senior students as he claimed some seniors gave the wrong orientation. “They would say things like, ‘You are taking things too seriously. During my time, I only prepared for one month and I passed,’” he said. Those comments dampened the spirits of many of his classmates.

He advised younger students to seek guidance from the right mentors, attend lectures consistently, speak up when struggling, and focus on understanding concepts rather than studying merely to pass examinations.

Beyond Student Effort

Abdulhameed Hur’ain Onyisa, a member of the affected Pharmacy class who is now in 300-level, believes there are systemic issues beyond student performance. “The recent implementation of Pharm D has created a lot of confusion. I believe better standardization of the programme will improve the situation.”

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, alongside the School of Medical Laboratory Science, recently transitioned from a five-year programme to a six-year doctoral degree structure. While many welcomed the upgrade to Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) and Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS), students say the transition has introduced new regulations that have left many feeling confused and disconnected from the experiences of their seniors.

For Abdullah Fatima Zahra, a student who repeated the class, the issue was more complex than laziness or lack of preparation. “The massive failure was not because we did not read. It differed from person to person. However, a common factor was poor time management. Many repeating students were either too relaxed or were not doing the right things at the right time. By the time reality set in, it was already too late.”

She went on to emphasize  the importance of seeking help early. “I strongly advise students to get a mentor with firsthand knowledge of the course. It helps avoid mistakes that are entirely preventable.”

For Alayande Mardiyat, a member of the new 200-level class, the result served as both a warning and a motivation. Seeing the mass casualties suffered by her senior colleagues, she wants to put in more effort. However, the situation still left her with doubt in herself. 

“The result made me want to put in more effort. At the same time, it made me doubt myself and wonder if I can do it. I believe everyone tries their best. I don’t think anybody wants to fail on purpose.”

Structural Pressures Within Medical Education

According to the Director of the UDUMSA Standing Committee on Medical Education and Health (SCOMEH), Abdulgafar Habeebullah, the problem extends beyond what meets the eye.

“I think the whole Nigerian educational system is struggling. Regulatory bodies are pushing institutions to increase admission numbers even when facilities are insufficient. Colleges are left with the difficult task of regulating progression,” he explained.

The National Universities Commission (NUC), in an effort to address the shortage of medical personnel caused by the growing wave of brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector, approved a significant increase in admission quotas for medical schools across the country in 2024. However, while institutions were permitted to admit more students, graduation quotas regulated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) did not immediately increase at the same rate.

As a result, many medical schools found themselves admitting more students than they were authorized to graduate. At UDUS, the admission quota for the MBBS programme was increased to 300 students, while the graduation quota remained at 150. This created a bottleneck within the system, with larger class sizes competing for available graduation slots.

The MBBS programme at UDUS recently underwent an accreditation exercise by the MDCN, which resulted in an increase in its graduation quota from 150 to 200 students. Although this development offers some relief, several existing classes still have enrollment figures that exceed previous limits.

Habeebullah also argued that some students failed to adopt the academic culture that previously helped struggling students survive in college. To prevent a recurrence, the SCOMEH team organized pre-reading tutorials, orientation programmes, and support meetings for both affected students and incoming classes.

“We are also working on assigning mentors to students and organizing mock examinations. We hope these initiatives will help drive students toward success,” he concluded.

Searching for Solutions

Speaking on the issue of mass failure, the Examination Officer, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Ahmad Biambo attributed the trend to several factors.

“Many students struggle to adapt to the intense environment at the teaching hospital. Some become overconfident because they were the best students in their secondary schools. Others become distracted by excessive involvement in extracurricular activities or unhealthy relationships.”

His comments mirror a broader concern repeatedly raised throughout interviews, that success in medical school requires more than intelligence alone. It demands discipline, consistency, adaptability, and support systems capable of helping students navigate one of the most demanding academic environments in the university.

Behind every withdrawal letter in college is a dream interrupted and every repeater is someone trying to find their feet again. As universities continue to pursue academic excellence, perhaps the conversation should not be on failure alone, but also those living through it.