UNTH Community Health Officer training admission requirements start with one rule many applicants miss: this is not an entry course for school leavers. The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, trains Community Health Officers (CHOs), the most senior grade of community health practitioner in Nigeria, through a two-year Higher Diploma in Community Health. UNTH’s page says forms are sold around February, the entrance exam holds in May, and successful candidates start in September. There is no JAMB requirement and no cut-off mark.
2027/2028 update: UNTH Community Health Officer training admission requirements and entrance exam process usually stay the same from one year to the next, so the rules on this page are what 2027/2028 candidates should plan with. They come from the latest official information (UNTH’s CHO training page and its 2024 report on the College of Community Health). If the 2027/2028 notice changes anything, we will update this page.
UNTH’s own page does not list the entry qualifications. The most detailed advert text I could find is the 2021 UNTH call reprinted on education blogs, which asks for a community health qualification, work experience, five O’level credits and a practising licence. I set out that 2021 text below, clearly labelled, because it is the best guide you have until UNTH publishes the 2027 notice. Confirm every point with the school before paying.
UNTH Community Health Officer training at a glance
| Item | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Award | Higher Diploma in Community Health (CHO) | UNTH CHO training page |
| Duration | Four semesters (two years) | UNTH CHO training page |
| Training split | 30% community, 70% clinic | UNTH CHO training page |
| Intake | 35 students per stream, two streams, 70 in all | UNTH CHO training page |
| Form sales | Around February each year | UNTH CHO training page |
| Entrance exam | May | UNTH CHO training page |
| Resumption | Normally September | UNTH CHO training page |
| Regulator | Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN) approved induction and certification of graduates in 2020 | UNTH news, August 2024 |
| JAMB / cut-off | Not required; none | Post-qualification programme |
| Form price | Not published for 2026 or 2027 (N10,000 in the 2021 advert reprint) | Blog reprint of 2021 advert |
UNTH Community Health Officer training admission requirements
The table below is the eligibility list from UNTH’s 2021 CHO advert as reprinted by Multischolar. UNTH has not posted this list on its own site, and I could not find a later version, so read it as the last known rules, not a 2027 guarantee.
| Requirement (2021 advert, blog reprint) | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Diploma in Community Health holders: at least 2 years of post-qualification experience | Count two full years from your qualification date |
| Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs): 5 years of experience | A longer wait applies if you trained as a CHEW |
| Five O’level credits (WAEC, GCE or NECO) at one or two sittings, including English, Mathematics and Biology or Health Science | Fix any missing credit with a private sitting before February |
| Registered, with a valid practising licence | Renew your licence before you apply |
| CHEW Abridgement Course Certificate | An advantage, not a must |
| Evidence of sponsorship or release for the training period | Get a letter from your employer or agency |
The same reprint also mentions “one to two years of post-qualification clinical experience”, which does not sit neatly with the two-year and five-year rules above. When the 2027 advert comes out, read the experience rule carefully and, if in doubt, ask the school which applies to your certificate.
Who cannot apply
- SSCE holders with no community health training. Start with a JCHEW or CHEW course at a college of health technology first.
- Newly qualified community health workers without the required years of experience.
- Practitioners whose licence has lapsed.
UNTH CHO entrance exam and form calendar
| Stage | Usual month (UNTH page) | Planning month for the 2027/2028 set |
|---|---|---|
| Sale of forms | Around February | February 2027 |
| Entrance exam | May | May 2027 |
| Resumption of successful candidates | September | September 2027 |
(The 2027 months are based on the school’s published yearly pattern; confirm on the official notice when the call opens.)
How the 2021 exercise ran
The 2021 reprint gives a useful picture of the process, even though the details are old. The form cost N10,000, paid in branch at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), either at the Presidential Road branch in Enugu or the FCMB cash office inside UNTH, Ituku-Ozalla. The bank issued a printout with a PIN, which candidates used to fill the form online. Forms closed on 8 May 2021, and the exam and interview held on 11 and 12 May 2021 at the CHO Training Programme, UNTH Old Site, Enugu. Candidates had to bring a pencil, eraser, ruler, pen, the printed application slip and the exam slip with photo; anyone without them was refused entry.
Expect the fee, bank and portal to have changed since then. UNTH sold its 2026/2027 post-basic nursing anaesthesia form on www.unthportal.org, so check that portal and unth.edu.ng first.
What to revise
UNTH has not published the exam syllabus. For a post-qualification community health exam, I would revise primary health care principles, immunisation schedules, maternal and child health, common communicable diseases, environmental sanitation, health statistics, and English and basic arithmetic. Your CHEW training notes and the national standing orders you use at work are the best starting point.
Worked example (illustrative)
- Applicant: Obinna trained as a CHEW, qualified in 2021 and works at a primary health centre in Udi.
- Experience check: by February 2027 he has about five and a half years. Under the 2021 rules, CHEWs need five years, so he qualifies.
- O’level check: credits in English, Mathematics, Biology and two others in one WAEC sitting. He meets the rule.
- Release: he asks his local government health authority for a release or sponsorship letter in January.
- Plan: buy the form in February 2027, sit the May exam, and resume in September 2027 if selected.
How to apply for UNTH CHO training, step by step
You do not need a JAMB profile, UTME score or CAPS for this programme. The steps are:
- Check your experience: count your years from the date on your community health certificate up to February.
- Renew your licence: make sure your CHPRBN practising licence is current.
- Get your release letter: ask your employer for written sponsorship or release for two years.
- Gather documents: O’level result(s), community health certificate, CHPRBN registration and licence, CHEW abridgement certificate if you have it, letter of service, birth certificate and passport photographs.
- Buy the form from UNTH only: from February, follow the payment route in the official UNTH notice and keep every receipt.
- Sit the May exam and interview: bring your printed slips and writing materials.
- Accept and resume: pay the fees on your admission letter through UNTH’s official channel and resume in September.
Warning
Many “UNTH CHO form” pages online still carry the 2021 dates and fee under a new year’s headline. Do not pay anyone on the strength of those pages. Confirm the current advert on unth.edu.ng or at the school before you pay.
About the College of Community Health, UNTH
UNTH began training Community Health Officers in 1979, with Prof. Bonny Nwakobi as pioneer coordinator. The first sets trained for one year; the course later became two years as more courses were accredited. The college marked its 45th anniversary with an alumni homecoming on 8 August 2024 at Imoke Hall, Old UNTH. Its principal at that time was Mrs Clare Njemanze, who asked management for more tutors and better power supply for the school.
According to the same UNTH report, the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria approved the induction and certification of the college’s graduating students in 2020. UNTH’s CHO page says the school plans to become a model school with better facilities and computer and internet access.
What CHO training covers
UNTH describes the training as 30% community and 70% clinic. CHOs run primary health care facilities, supervise CHEWs and JCHEWs, treat common illnesses under standing orders, lead immunisation and maternal and child health services, and organise community health education. UNTH has not posted a course list.
Careers after the Higher Diploma
- Officer in charge of a primary health centre.
- Primary health care coordinator roles in local government health departments.
- Programme officer posts with NGOs in immunisation, malaria, HIV and nutrition.
- Further training as a primary health care tutor (UNTH runs a separate tutors programme).
Related UNTH programmes
- UNTH School of Health Information Management admission requirements
- UNTH School of Midwifery admission requirements
- UNTH cut-off mark for Nursing Science (BNSc)
If you are a school leaver who wants to start in health at UNTH, the BNSc route goes through JAMB; our JAMB CAPS guide explains the admission screen.
Mistakes CHO applicants make
- Trusting recycled blog adverts: the 2021 dates and N10,000 fee are still circulating under 2026 headlines.
- Applying without a release letter: the 2021 advert asked for evidence of sponsorship or release.
- Miscounting experience: CHEWs faced a five-year rule in 2021, not two.
- Waiting until May: forms open around February and the exam is in May.
UNTH Community Health Officer training: frequently asked questions
When will UNTH CHO form 2027 come out? UNTH says forms are sold around February, with the entrance exam in May. Watch unth.edu.ng from February 2027.
Can I apply for CHO at UNTH with only WAEC? No. The programme is for trained community health workers with work experience; school leavers should first train as a CHEW or JCHEW.
How long is CHO training at UNTH? Four semesters, which is two years, leading to a Higher Diploma in Community Health.
How much is UNTH CHO form? UNTH has not published a 2026 or 2027 price. The 2021 advert charged N10,000, so expect a different figure and confirm it on the official notice.
Sources and updates
The award, duration, training split, intake, calendar and plans come from UNTH’s Community Health Officer Training page (last updated June 2020). The history, principal and CHPRBN approval come from UNTH’s report on the College of Community Health’s 45th anniversary (10 August 2024). The eligibility list, fee, bank and 2021 dates come from the 2021 UNTH advert as reprinted by Multischolar; UNTH has not posted that text on its own site. The portal reference is from UNTH’s official 2026/2027 Nursing Anaesthesia notice (7 May 2026). Revision topics, career notes and the worked example are my advice and illustration. Checked on 29 October 2026; this page will be updated when UNTH advertises the 2027/2028 intake.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
