University of Bamenda
The University of Bamenda (UBa) is the youngest university in this group and the second English-speaking state university, after Buea. Created in December 2010 and opened in 2011, it sits at Bambili, near Bamenda in the North-West, on a site steeped in the educational history of former West Cameroon. It bills itself as “the university of the future”, focused on professional training, technology and entrepreneurship.
Information checked on
At a glance
- City and campus
- Bambili (main campus, Mezam division); health sciences at Mile 3 Nkwen, Bamenda (according to Wikipedia)
- Founded
- Decree No. 2010/371 of 14 December 2010; opened in 2011
- Status
- English-speaking state university (Anglo-Saxon tradition)
- Vice-Chancellor
- Prof. Theresia Nkuo-Akenji (decree of 27 November 2015; in office in September 2026)
- Students
- No enrolment figure published online
- Official website
- uniba.cm
History
UBa's history is tied to two Bambili institutions. The first is the Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology (CCAST), born of a 1962 initiative led by John Ngu Foncha, then Prime Minister of West Cameroon, and moved to Bambili in December 1963. The second is the Bambili annex of the Higher Teacher Training College (ENSAB), attached to the ENS in Yaoundé. Decree No. 2010/371 of 14 December 2010 created the university; a decree of the same day (No. 2010/372) turned the Bambili annex into a full teacher-training college and technical teacher-training college.
In 2016, Anglophone protesters demanded that common law be taught at Buea and Bamenda; the university now has a Faculty of Law and Political Science.
Faculties, schools and institutes
| School | Acronym | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Science | — | Application |
| Faculty of Arts | — | Application |
| Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences | — | Application |
| Faculty of Education | — | Application |
| Faculty of Law and Political Science | — | Application |
| Faculty of Health Sciences (up to medical doctor) | — | Entrance exam |
| College of Technology | — | Selective (entrance exam for specialised programmes) |
| Higher Teachers' Training College | HTTC | Selective, see the becoming-a-teacher page |
| Higher Technical Teachers' Training College | HTTTC | Selective, see the becoming-a-teacher page |
| National Higher Polytechnic Institute | NAHPI | Selective (entrance exam for specialised programmes) |
| Higher Institute of Transport and Logistics | — | Selective (entrance exam for specialised programmes) |
| Higher Institute of Commerce and Management | — | Selective (entrance exam for specialised programmes) |
Strengths
- Professional training: according to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for teaching, quoted by Cameroon Tribune in October 2026, more than half of its programmes are career-oriented.
- Training of English-speaking teachers, inherited from the Bambili ENS annex, with two teacher-training colleges (general and technical).
- A health faculty that trains up to medical doctor level; its dean, nephrologist Gloria Ashuntantang, was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea in June 2026.
Student life and campus
The Bambili campus lies outside Bamenda town. According to Cameroon Tribune, classes for 2026-2027 actually started in mid-October 2026, with teacher-training students on campus from September. An association, the Young Bambili Farmers, runs a greenhouse there for students and local young people. In 2026 the university also held a workshop on open and distance learning with the Commonwealth of Learning.
Admission
Applications are made online at ubastudent.online. According to the requirements reproduced by Kamerpower, candidates need the GCE O Level in at least five subjects including English, or the Probatoire, and the GCE A Level in at least two subjects passed at one sitting, or the Baccalauréat. Wikipedia adds that English proficiency must be shown (GCE O Level or an approved test) and that specialised programmes recruit by entrance exam. The basic university fee is CFA 50,000: see the cost of higher education page.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the University of Bamenda?
At Bambili, in Mezam division (North-West), near Bamenda; health sciences are at Mile 3 Nkwen, in Bamenda.
What can you study at the University of Bamenda?
Science, arts, economics and management, education, law, health, technology, engineering, transport and logistics, commerce and management, plus teacher training.
How do I apply to the University of Bamenda?
Online, at ubastudent.online, with the GCE A Level (two subjects) or the Baccalauréat and proof of English proficiency; specialised programmes require an entrance exam.
When was the University of Bamenda created?
By Decree No. 2010/371 of 14 December 2010; it opened in 2011.
Who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bamenda?
Prof. Theresia Nkuo-Akenji, a parasitologist and immunologist appointed in November 2015 and still in post in 2026.
Handle with care
No student enrolment figure is published online. The admission requirements come from a Kamerpower page of uncertain date, and the application fee it lists was left out for that reason. The exact admission route for each school (exam or application) is not detailed on the official website. No verified source quantifies the effect of the Anglophone crisis on attendance. MINESUP exam decisions refer to the polytechnic as ENSPB; the abbreviation NAHPI comes from Wikipedia.