Mekelle University

Health and medical education

Mekelle University opened its medical school in 2003. All health training now sits in the College of Health Sciences, which is run together with Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital under a single chief executive director. On paper it is one of the most complete health colleges in the country. In practice, the 2020–2022 war in Tigray and its aftermath have shaped what it can offer, and they still do.

Programmes on the 2025/26 list

The university's list of active programmes for 2025/26 includes the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Dental Surgery. It also lists BSc degrees in comprehensive nursing, emergency and critical care nursing, psychiatric nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, anaesthesia, medical laboratory science, environmental health and physiotherapy. Most of these also have a post-basic version for diploma holders upgrading to a degree.

At postgraduate level the list includes:

• public health: a general MPH and tracks in reproductive health, nutrition, field epidemiology, and monitoring and evaluation, plus hospital and health care administration and biostatistics and health informatics;
• nursing: master's degrees in maternity and reproductive health, paediatric and child health, and adult health nursing;
• midwifery: an MSc in Clinical Midwifery and an MSc in Midwifery Education;
• pharmacy: a post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and five pharmacy master's;
• other fields: master's degrees in anaesthesia, physiotherapy, mental health and the basic medical sciences;
• PhDs in public health, nursing and medical microbiology.

Residencies

The 2025/26 list gives specialty certificates in general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics and trauma, paediatrics and child health, internal medicine, dermatovenereology, anaesthesiology and critical care, anatomic pathology, neurosurgery, ENT (head and neck surgery), ophthalmology and forensic medicine and toxicology. It also lists three dental specialties: prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and orthodontics. Subspecialties are offered in neurosurgery and urogynaecology. The university's "in numbers" page gives a smaller count (11 specialty and 2 subspecialty programmes), so ask which are admitting.

Nursing, midwifery, pharmacy and public health

• Nursing: Mekelle began master's programmes in nursing in 2011. It is fourth in Ethiopia for nursing on EduRank.
• Midwifery: Mekelle was one of seven universities offering the MSc in Clinical Midwifery in 2022. This degree trains midwives in emergency obstetric surgery, including caesarean section. A 2023 study of that programme left Mekelle out because it "was not operating because of conflict situations".
• Pharmacy: a 2011 case study by its own staff described the school's first B.Pharm class and its move from a product-focused to a patient-centred curriculum.
• Public health: the college also runs the Kilite Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance System, a field site used for research. Mekelle is fourth in Ethiopia for public health research on EduRank.

Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital

Ayder opened in 2008. A 2023 study describes it as a 500-bed hospital in the College of Health Sciences, serving about 10 million people across Tigray, northern Afar and north-eastern Amhara. It offers specialty and subspecialty services.

The war hit it hard. A study of patient records from July 2017 to June 2021, controlling for COVID-19, found the war cut inpatient visits by about 44%, outpatient visits by 52% and emergency visits by 45%. Reports during the blockade described deaths of kidney patients and others for lack of supplies and medical oxygen in 2022. The hospital was still short of supplies in early 2023.

Teaching after the war

Higher education in Tigray stopped during the war. In August 2023, after the Pretoria peace agreement, Mekelle began readmitting students: about 2,000 in the first wave, according to Fana.

In September 2026 teaching was disrupted again. On 9 September the Ministry of Education halted new student placements at Mekelle, Aksum, Adigrat and Raya universities. On 14 September it announced that students already enrolled would be temporarily moved to other public universities. The ministry cited insecurity and reported soldiers on some campuses, including Mekelle's Quiha campus. Mekelle replied that six of its seven campuses are operating and can provide safe education. It said the Quiha campus has not been available to it since 2021, and asked the ministry to keep assigning students. Neither report mentions the College of Health Sciences or Ayder specifically. We found no later update, so check the current position before you plan anything.

Rankings and accreditation

Despite the disruption, Mekelle is fourth in Ethiopia on EduRank for medicine, nursing, public health and pharmacology. It is the only Ethiopian university in the Times Higher Education 2027 world ranking (1201–1400). None of its health programmes appeared on the Education and Training Authority's online accreditation register when we checked.

The institution

Mekelle University was established in May 2000 by merging Mekelle Business College and Mekelle University College, under Council of Ministers Regulation No. 61/1999. Some ranking sites give 1991, which refers to the older of the two colleges. The university is in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, 783 km from Addis Ababa.

In its own figures it has 7 campuses, 7 colleges, 9 institutes, about 30,000 students and 8,000 employees. It offers 122 undergraduate, 204 master's and 53 PhD programmes. Its campuses are Endayesus (main), Adihaki, Ayder, Aynalem, Kalamino, Quiha and Baloni (under construction).

Admissions. Regular undergraduate students are placed by the Ministry of Education. That route was suspended for Tigray universities in September 2026 (see above). Graduate programmes are listed with regular, evening/extension and in-service options. Contact the Registrar and Alumni Directorate (ra.director@mu.edu.et) for current calls.

Before you apply

• Check the placement situation first. As of mid-September 2026, the Ministry of Education had paused new placements to Mekelle. Ask the ministry and the university what applies to your intake.
• Ask the College of Health Sciences whether your programme is admitting, and whether clinical teaching at Ayder is running at full capacity.
• If you are already enrolled, find out whether you have been temporarily reassigned and how your clinical years and credits will transfer.
• Ask about supplies and staffing at Ayder. Reports from 2021–2023 described serious shortages.
• The 2025/26 programme list gives contacts for each programme, many of them personal mobiles and email addresses. Use the official addresses above where you can.