The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) has stopped Mwanza University (MzU) from admitting and registering first-year students for its Bachelor of Medicine programme for the 2025/2026 academic year, after uncovering serious violations of national admission standards.
The decision follows an audit that revealed MzU had admitted ten times more students than the number approved by the Commission a move that TCU says exceeds the university’s teaching capacity and compromises training quality.
Announcing the decision in Mwanza on December 2, 2025, TCU Executive Secretary Prof. Charles Kihampa said the scale of over-enrolment raised immediate concerns about the safety, quality and integrity of medical training at the institution.
“The number admitted far exceeds the university’s capacity in terms of learning facilities and the available academic staff,” Prof. Kihampa said.
He explained that TCU coordinated national admission applications between July 15 and October 20 this year, with universities required to process applications through their Senates while strictly observing established admission laws and academic regulations.
After the admission process closed, TCU conducted an initial compliance audit to verify whether institutions had adhered to approved criteria, including programme capacity limits, minimum entry qualifications and sector-specific standards.
The audit found that MzU had registered a significantly higher number of medical students than allowed, prompting TCU’s 127th special meeting on November 28, 2025, to withdraw the university’s approval to admit first-year medical students for the current academic year.
Prof. Kihampa noted that despite being directed to correct the excess numbers, MzU failed to comply. However, he clarified that continuing students will not be affected and will proceed with their studies.
As part of the remedy, TCU has authorized all first-year students who were admitted, registered and reported to MzU to apply for transfers to accredited universities with approved capacity for medical training. Students may also opt for other programmes in the 2025/2026 academic year or in subsequent years.
MzU has been instructed to formally inform all affected students, assist them throughout the transfer process and ensure they are placed in institutions with adequate facilities and valid accreditation.
Prof. Kihampa assured the affected students that the transfer process will be handled promptly and with full consideration of their academic interests.
In a broader move, TCU has formed a special team of experts to conduct an in-depth investigation into academic management at MzU. The investigation will commence after the transfer process is finalized.
Prof. Kihampa emphasized that the Commission remains firm in safeguarding the quality of higher education in Tanzania.
“We will continue to enforce standards across all universities and take appropriate action whenever violations occur to protect the credibility of our education system,” he said.