More Than 300 Dentistry Students Face Possible Expulsion from UNICAL Due to Admission Crisis

Around three hundred undergraduate students from the Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Surgery at the University of Calabar are at risk of being removed from the institution.

Some of the students affected are already in their final year.

Several students involved, who shared their experiences on X (formerly Twitter), and others who spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity, said the situation stems from allegations that the university admitted more students than the number accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

The students, some of whom are in their fourth and fifth years, reported that they recently received letters summoning them for a meeting about what the school administration described as “non-regular” admissions.

A memo obtained invited the students to attend a meeting with faculty officials on July 7. Although the letter did not explicitly mention expulsion, many students interpret it as a sign that they may be withdrawn from the programme.

One affected student, who identifies as Shegzz @SteveOsh2 on X, shared his experience: “I’m a 5th-year dental student. I’ve written 3 MB exams and passed all. Now, in preclinical dentistry, hoping to graduate in less than 2 years, only to now hear we have lost accreditation because we don’t have the facilities. They kept on promising and feeding us lies that facilities would be available before we graduate. Here we are in Year 5, 7 years inside this struggle, and we are now told to take transfers to other schools, which wouldn’t solve this issue.”

Another student, using the handle Jack Collinsgaj @xavage1919, posted: “I am a student of 5B class… I have given my all to make sure I pass my exams (+2 professional exams) only to be told that my future has been shattered by my very university, which is supposed to protect my interests… This is heartbreaking and depressing…”

Another user, Jumbo Blessing (@Jumblessing), suggested that the problem is not new to the university. “It’s the same thing they did to engineering and pharmacy students 4 years ago and mass communication 3 years ago. Unical is always doing this every year, admitting too many students; then the lecturers will fail them and send them to departments they never chose or just drop them.”

An affected student who asked not to be named stated, “This is our fourth year in this programme. We’ve paid fees, done clinicals, passed courses, and now they’re telling us we shouldn’t have been admitted?

“We are not the ones who approved the admission quota. Why should we suffer for the institution’s mistake?”

Although the university has not issued an official statement, some students claim that staff have warned them against discussing the issue with the public.

“We were told not to talk about this, even among ourselves,” said another student. “But we are tired of being quiet. We have families who’ve invested in us. We want answers.”

Attempts to contact the Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, and the university’s public relations officer were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages went unanswered at the time this report was filed.