The University of Calabar has suspended admissions into three health science programmes for the 2026/2027 academic session, affecting candidates who chose the institution for Medicine and Surgery, Medical Laboratory Science, and Dentistry.

The suspension was announced in a statement by the university Registrar, Dr Mrs Chukwuka Icha, made available to journalists in Calabar on Friday through the institution's Public Relations Unit.

The university directed all candidates who selected UNICAL as their first choice institution for any of the three affected programmes to visit the nearest Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board office without delay to process a change of institution. The deadline for completing that process is the end of July 2026.

Management clarified that UNICAL is not the only institution affected, noting that three other universities face similar restrictions for the same academic session. The university did not state the specific reason for the suspension.

Candidates were warned against relying on unverified reports circulating on social media and were urged to follow only official communications from the institution and the admissions body when seeking updates on the matter.

The statement encouraged prospective students to act promptly, cautioning that failure to change institutions before the July deadline could jeopardise their admission prospects for the 2026/2027 session.