The University of Zambia was established by Act of Parliament in 1965 and took its first students on 17 March 1966. International undergraduates pay tuition of ZMW 51,363 a year for arts-based programmes, ZMW 62,890 for science-based programmes and ZMW 77,943 for medicine-based programmes, while students from SADC countries pay the Zambian rate. Applications for the 2027 intake closed on 17 April 2026.