Santé Medical College

Health and medical education

Santé Medical College is a private college that trains doctors, dentists, laboratory scientists and public-health professionals. The 2020 Ethiopian Medical Journal history of medical education names it among Ethiopia's first private medical schools. In March 2024, Addis Fortune described it as a decade-old college with more than 700 students, in programmes ranging from laboratory technology to medicine.

Doctor of Medicine

According to the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), Santé's six-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) has been taught since 2014. Entry follows secondary school and requires an entrance exam, and foreign students are admitted. WDOMS sponsor notes cover ECFMG eligibility and Canadian acceptability. That is a directory listing, not an Ethiopian accreditation.

The college's admission page lists the Ministry of Education entrance cut-offs it has applied by intake year, from 2011 E.C. onwards.

Other programmes

• Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM). A six-year programme. The first two years are preclinical, taught at the college: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology and pathology. The clinical years cover oral and maxillofacial surgery, restorative dentistry, periodontics, paediatric dentistry and prosthodontics, with rotations in general surgery, internal medicine, OBGYN, dermatology and ophthalmology. The college says clinical training happens "primarily at government hospitals", plus a rural community-dentistry attachment. Santé Special Dental Clinic, which the college describes as a sister company founded in 2015, is also involved in training.
• BSc Medical Laboratory Science. Four years, with four supervised practicum attachments. Diploma holders can join through advanced standing.
• Master of Public Health (MPH). Two years, in general public health, reproductive health or public health nutrition. The August 2026 registration call advertised the general and reproductive-health tracks.

The college says it has about eight departmental skills laboratories and a central clinical skills laboratory. It also runs a CPD training centre for health workers. In October 2026 it hosted its third biennial educational conference, on AI in health-professions education.

Teaching hospitals

The college does not publicly name the hospitals where MD students do their clinical years and internship. The only statement we found is the DDM page's "primarily at government hospitals". There is also a private "Sante Medical Centre" near Legehar, in Kirkos Sub-City, on the UK government's list of medical facilities. We found no source that says it is part of the college or a teaching site, so ask.

Accreditation and results (self-reported)

Santé is not on the ETA's online accreditation register. As of November 2026 that register lists 13 programme accreditations, none of them at a private college. Addis Fortune (2024) quoted Santé's vice dean on the value of accreditation.

On its website, the college makes these claims, which are its own and undated:

• Exit exam. The Ministry of Education commended its MD students for a 100% pass rate in the first national exit exam and 93% in the second. The Ministry has not published results by school.
• Recognition. It lists WDOMS, ECFMG and the UK General Medical Council as recognitions, saying the GMC accepts its graduates. Check this with the GMC, which assesses individual doctors, not schools.

Graduates and staff

The college's website shows counters (as of November 2026) of 533 undergraduate and 515 postgraduate graduates. It lists 5 professors, 6 associate professors, 28 assistant professors, 47 lecturers and 6 specialists. A graduation ceremony for MD, DDM, MLS and postgraduate students was held at the Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa, on 15 November 2025.

The institution

Santé is a private medical college. Its stated vision is to be one of the country's leading centres of excellence in higher medical education by 2030. The college's founding year isn't clearly stated in the sources we found: WDOMS dates its MD to 2014, and Addis Fortune called it "decade-old" in 2024.

Location. The college is in the Doba Building at Bisrate Gebreal Square, in front of the Algerian Embassy, in the Sarbet area of Addis Ababa. WDOMS gives the address as "Doba Bldgs, Sarbet Bisrate Gebreal".

Contacts and social media. The website lists a mobile number and two email addresses, and an August 2026 announcement adds an office landline. The Facebook page facebook.com/santemedicalcollege shows the same mobile number and Gmail address. A Telegram channel, @Sante_Medical_College ("Sante' Medical College & CPD Training Center"), also exists, but the college's website does not link to it.

Admissions. Undergraduates are admitted on the Ministry of Education's national cut-off scores. International students need a natural-science background, a completed high-school diploma and an ETA equivalence letter. Tuition is not published. The college's FAQ gives one fee: a make-up exam costs ETB 2,500 for undergraduates and ETB 1,300 for postgraduates.

Rankings. Santé does not appear in EduRank's medicine ranking for Ethiopia, and we found no other credible ranking.

Before you apply

• Ask for the current ETA or Ministry of Education accreditation letter for the exact programme: MD, DDM, Medical Laboratory Science or the MPH track.
• Ask which hospitals MD students and interns train in. The college does not name them, and the separate "Sante Medical Centre" may not be connected.
• Ask for exit-exam results by year, with candidate numbers, behind the 100%/93% claim.
• If you plan to work abroad, check recognition with the regulator yourself (GMC, ECFMG) rather than relying on the college's list.
• Get the full fee schedule in writing. Only exam re-sit fees are published.