The University of Khartoum (U of K) () is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. The University of Khartoum was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 1956 when Sudan gained independence. Since that date, the University of Khartoum has been recognized as a top university and a high-ranked academic institution in Sudan and Africa.Akec, John A. (14 February 2009) Why the university education still excites Sudanese? The Sudan Tribune, Comment and Analysis, Retrieved 21 August 2012.
It features several institutes, academic units and research centers including Mycetoma Research Center, Soba University Hospital, Saad Abualila Hospital, Dr. Salma Dialysis centre, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Institute for Studies and Promotion of Animal Exports, Institute of African and Asian Studies, Institute of Prof. Abdalla ElTayeb for Arabic Language, Development Studies and Research Institute, The Materials and Nanotechnology Research Center and U of K publishing house. The Sudan Library, a section of the university's library, serves as the national library of Sudan. It is also characterized by freedom of expression, and a number of revolutions have ignited from it to bring down unjust governments.
History
In 1898 after Britain gained dominance in Sudan as part of a condominium arrangement, Lord Kitchener proposed founding a college in the memory of Gordon of Khartoum, who was killed in the Siege of Khartoum. The request for donations of £100,000 to build the college was achieved in six weeks and the Gordon Memorial College was founded in 1902 with initially three schools - an industrial school and two higher primary schools and a small teachers training centre.
By 1906, the college was also offering programs for training assistant engineers, land surveyors and primary school teachers. The first equipped laboratory for bacteriological analysis was added in 1905, with donations from Sir Henry Wellcome, an American-British pharmaceutical entrepreneur and archaeologist. There was also an affiliated Military school.
In 1924, it was decided to make the college a wholly secondary institution with the college incorporating programs in Sharia, engineering and surveying, education (teachers training), clerical work, accounting and science. Primary and military schools were removed. The Kitchener School of Medicine, the first medical school in Sudan, was also established that year.
Dates for the establishment of further schools were; 1936 School of Law, 1938 School of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, 1939 Science and Engineering and 1940 Arts. In 1947, the college was affiliated with The University of London as the first overseas participant in its "special relationship" scheme. The first graduates to receive University of London degrees completed their programs in 1950. The next year, Gordon Memorial College was formally renamed University College Khartoum, which incorporated the Kitchener School of Medicine.
When Sudan gained independence in 1956, the new Parliament passed a bill to award university status to Khartoum University College. It officially became Khartoum University on 24 July 1956. The eminent horticultural scientist John Pilkington Hudson was a visiting professor in 1961–1963, who founded its department of horticulture.ODNB entry: Retrieved 24 July 2011.
On 5 April 1984, the Government announced the closure of all faculties of the university. The university was reopened fully on August 1.
The university was closed several times after the 1989 military coup d'état for the intensive participation of its students in pro-democracy rallies.
Recent history In the early days of the Sudanese civil war (2023-present) in April 2023, at least one student was killed and some injured by gunfire and the university was shut down for days while eagerly seeking support to evacuate dozens of people stranded and sheltering on campus. The same student was buried on campus later.
The campus was located in a besieged enclave and occupied by the Sudanese Armed Forces. The Army used the school as a barracks and headquarters before being ousted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In September 2024, the Sudanese Armed Forces launched a major offensive in Khartoum and retook the university. The school was heavily damaged, with various buildings ransacked.
Student body The university has 16,800 undergraduate students in 23 faculties, schools and graduate research institutes. The annual admission rate is 3,500 students, 55% of whom are female. There are 6,000 graduate students (graduate diploma, M.Sc. and Ph.D.). It has 850 teaching staff (faculty), 20 research fellows and 500 teaching assistants.
Campuses
There are four campuses: The Central Campus in Central Khartoum. The Medical Campus located in the North of Central Khartoum. The Agriculture and Veterinary Campus at Shambat, Khartoum North. The Faculty of Education Campus at Omdurman 15 km from central campus. Suba Campus (Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Suba Hospital) at Suba, 20 km South of Khartoum. The management studies campus in central Khartoum.
Admission Undergraduate admission policy is governed by the Board of Higher Education of Sudan, which sets the minimum admission requirement for high school students based on their national origin (Sudanese vs. non-Sudanese) and the high-school certificate board.
For post-graduate studies, the requirements are on the university admission webpage.
Students of University of Khartoum engage in workshops, lectures, debates, forum activism, book clubs and political parties. Sporting activities include university sports championship tournaments and Sudan colleges championship tournaments.
Faculties
Faculty of Arts Faculty of Law Faculty of Science Faculty of Nursing Sciences Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Engineering Faculty of Architecture Faculty of Mathematical Sciences School of Management Studies Faculty of Economic and Social Studies Faculty of Education Faculty of Agriculture Faculty of Forestry Faculty of Animal Production Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Geographical and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Technological and Developmental Studies Faculty of Public and Environmental Health Faculty of Medicine
Historical Background of Faculty of Geographical and Environmental Sciences it was the Department of Geography established in 1945 as a unit in the School of Arts, University College of Khartoum which became the University of Khartoum in 1956, and the Unit became a department thereof. Administratively, it was a department in the Faculty of Arts. Still, its academic and research activities transcend the faculty's boundaries to various faculties and institutes within the university, like the faculties of Economics, Engineering, Architecture, Science, Agriculture, Forestry, Education, Medicine, and institutes of Environmental Studies, Afro-Asian Studies, Urban Studies and Development Studies and Research. The department occupies a two-storey building. The northern wing comprises sixteen staff offices and the GIS laboratory, while the lecture halls, the library, and the cartography laboratory are located in the southern wing. The Faculty has been established under the University Council resolution No.129 on 12/12/2010 as an upgrading of the old Geography Department, Faculty of Arts, which was established in 1945, and is located in the university main campus in a two-building complex. The Faculty was established with a scientific vision to cope with the tremendous scientific advances and changes induced by the information revolution and globalization. Faculty of Geographical and Environmental Sciences includes the following departments: (Geographical Information Systems and Cartography - Environment and Ecology - Human and Population Studies - Planning and Development)
Faculty of Public and Environmental Health
Faculty of Public and Environmental Health, University of Khartoum, includes the following departments: (Food Hygiene and Safety - Health Education - Epidemiology - Environmental Health and Environmental Studies). The college awards a bachelor's degree in Public and Environmental Health in four years. The Bachelor of Science in Public and Environmental Health Honors in five years. Master's degree in Public and Environmental Health in one of six specialties (Public Health -Food Hygiene and Safety - Health Education - Epidemiology - Environmental Health- Medical Entomology)
Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science The Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences was founded in 1966 under the name "School of Medical Laboratory Technicians" as a joint venture between the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum and the Ministry of Health. Its development was continued until in 1993 an ordinance was passed for the establishment of the College of Medical Laboratory Sciences an independent institution affiliated to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. In 1997, it was merged with the University of Khartoum as the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences (FMLS). The Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences offers preparation for careers in medical (clinical) laboratory sciences. A career in medical laboratory sciences is a great way to combine an aptitude for science with the desire to help others. Medical Laboratory Scientists, also known as clinical laboratory scientists, are highly skilled professionals who perform analytical tests on blood, tissue, and body fluids to provide laboratory information for the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases. There also is a growing trend for medical lab scientists to perform wellness laboratory testing aimed at preventing disease. Degrees Awarded: General B.Sc.: 4 years Honor B.Sc.: 5 years M.S.c: By courses M.Sc.: By research PhD: By research Departments of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences:
Department of Microbiology It is one of the biggest departments in FMLS, it includes the following disciplines: Medical Bacteriology, Medical Virology, Medical Mycology, and Immunology.
Departments of Haematology and Immunohematology Deals with all aspects related to blood, its components and related diseases such as anaemia, cancer, and also blood transfusion.
Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology Teaches the knowledge of pathogenic parasites such as malaria, worms such as Schistosomes and insect vectors of diseases.
Department of Chemical Pathology Deals with everything related to body chemistry including but not limited to chemical shifts in the body due to diseases, hormonal balance, enzymes, trace elements and toxicology.
Department of Histopathology and Cytology Focuses on identifying the composition of cells and tissues of the body and the change in their composition due to chronic cases. Division of the Department: Cytopathology, Histotechniques, Immunohistochemistry, Cytogenetics, Molecular Pathology, Cellular pathology
Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Dentistry was established in 1971 as a school that belong to the Faculty of Medicine. It was the first in Sudan to provide dental training. In 1992 it upgraded to a separate faculty. The school now has approximately 60 outstanding faculty and staff and 600 students enrolled in BDS degree programs, 90 postgraduate and 90 dental technology.
Academic programs B.D.S. (five years) Intermediate Diploma in dental technology (three years) M.Sc. in wide variety of specialties (two years) Ph.D. in wide variety of specialties (three years) DDS - RD (four years) DDS - Dental Specialty (four years)
Facilities Dental Clinics Phantom Head Lab Dental Laboratory Museum Histopathology Lab Dental Radiology Unit Library and e-library
Center for MFDRCSI Examinations