Over 80 health graduates without degrees since 2023 continue to pay English exams to graduate, amid medical deficit in Nicaragua Over 80 medical and nursing graduates from Nicaragua’s Central University (UCN) have been unable to obtain their professional degrees since 2023. They allege the university is requiring an advanced score on the TOEIC English exam, a criterion not explicitly stated in academic regulations, despite students having already achieved intermediate certifications. This administrative barrier prevents them from obtaining necessary professional codes to work in healthcare, exacerbating Nicaragua’s existing medical personnel shortage.

• More than 80 students from UCN’s Medicine and Nursing programs have been without professional titles since 2023, despite completing all graduation requirements.
• Students claim the university is arbitrarily demanding an advanced TOEIC English certification score, which is not a stipulated requirement in the academic regulations for graduation.
• The academic regulations only require possession of the TOEIC certification, not a specific advanced score, and recognize various proficiency levels.
• The lack of degrees prevents graduates from obtaining the required professional codes from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) to legally practice in Nicaragua.
• This situation hinders graduates from securing employment in hospitals, clinics, and private medical centers, forcing many into informal work to survive.
• Nicaragua already faces a shortage of medical professionals, with one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios in Central America, a deficit worsened by recent political crises.
• Graduates have repeatedly taken and paid for the TOEIC exam, incurring significant costs, without resolution.
• Students point to a previous generation graduating under similar circumstances but with less stringent requirements, questioning the UCN’s inconsistent application of rules.
• The university has not responded to inquiries from affected graduates or media regarding these allegations.
• The situation unfolds amidst increased political control over Nicaraguan universities, following the removal of autonomy and restructuring of higher education. https://www.divergentes.com/egresados-salud-sin-titulos-nicaragua/