Wellspring University, Benin City, has secured approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to run five new undergraduate health programmes, marking a major expansion of the institution’s College of Health Sciences.

The approval was granted following a successful resource verification exercise conducted by a panel of experts from the commission at the university.

In a statement by the institution’s management, the new programmes are scheduled to commence in the 2026/2027 academic session.

The programmes approved are Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS); Bachelor of Science in Human Anatomy; Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology; Bachelor of Health Information Management, (BHIM); and Bachelor of Community Health Science.

With the inclusion of MBBS, Wellspring University joins the growing number of private universities in Nigeria licensed to train medical doctors.

The addition of anatomy, physiology, health information management and community health science is also expected to broaden the university’s offerings in allied health and public health training.

The institution said the approval reflects the NUC’s confidence in its academic resources, physical infrastructure, governance structure, and overall capacity to deliver university education in line with national standards.

“This approval reinforces the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and national development. It also advances the University’s strategic expansion in the health sciences,” the statement said.

The university noted that the introduction of the programmes is designed to strengthen its capacity to produce competent healthcare professionals who can contribute to improved healthcare delivery and advance socio-economic development in Nigeria and beyond.

The resource verification exercise by the NUC typically assesses key areas, including staffing, laboratory and clinical facilities, library resources, curriculum, and financial base before a university is cleared to admit students into new programmes, particularly in regulated fields such as medicine and health sciences.

The university directed prospective candidates interested in any of the approved programmes to contact the Admissions Office or visit its official communication channels for details on admission requirements and application procedures for the 2026/2027 academic session.

The approval comes amid a nationwide push to increase the training of health workers to address gaps in Nigeria’s health sector, with NUC in recent years expanding access to medical and health-related programmes across federal, state and private universities.