The University of Sierra Leone is made up of a number of different affiliated educational establishments across the country. These include Fourah Bay College, Njala University College, the College of Medicine and Allied Sciences, and the Institute of Public Administration and Management.

The University traces its origins back to the Christian Institute in 1814. This became a teacher training college, Fourah Bay College, when it moved to Freetown in 1827. Founded by the Church Missionary Society of Britain, the college affiliated with Durham University in England in 1876, and started preparing students for degrees.

Njala University College dates to 1912, when the government set up an agricultural department plantation. The college was upgraded to a university college in 1964, and in 1967 it joined Fourah Bay College to constitute the University of Sierra Leone. In 1988, the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences was added as a third college.

There are an estimated 3,000 students enrolled in the University, 80% of whom are male. There is a similar gender split among the 1,500-plus staff members, though fewer than 100 of these are academic faculty.

The decade-long civil war in the 1990s disrupted the university as it did all other aspects of civil life. The university lost infrastructure, equipment, staff members and other assets during this period. During this time, all departments relocated to the capital, Freetown.

Country fact file
Sierra Leone currently has a population of 5.8m and a per capita income of around $500. 68% of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line, with literacy at just 31%.