The Delta State College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele, is a government-owned nursing training institution established in 1994, located in Sapele, Delta State. It trains students in Nursing Sciences under the joint academic standards of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN). This article explains what the college currently offers, what freshers and returning students pay for the 2026/2027 academic session, and what the admission process looks like under the college’s present ND/HND structure.
About the College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele
Since its founding in 1994, the college has operated as one of several campuses under the Delta State college-of-nursing system, alongside sister campuses in Agbor, Warri, Eku, and Asaba. The institution currently runs National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in Nursing Sciences, each lasting two years, built on NBTE academic standards and aligned with NMCN professional requirements. This ND/HND structure represents the modernized format the college now follows, distinct from the older three-year Basic Nursing certificate pathway that many state-run nursing colleges historically used. Graduates proceed to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria after completing their final year, which qualifies them to practice as licensed nursing professionals.
The college describes its guiding values as excellence, compassion, integrity, discipline, service, and innovation, and it operates with an underlying Christian ethos in its institutional philosophy, even though it functions as a government-run college within the Delta State health training system rather than a privately owned faith-based school.
School Fees for Fresh Students, 2026/2027
The Delta State College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele, does not publish a single, standing tuition figure on its official channels, since the fee schedule for each session is fixed and communicated directly to admitted candidates once the admission list is released. Based on the fee pattern typically applied across Delta State’s nursing training colleges, freshers admitted into the ND Nursing Sciences programme should budget within the range of ₦150,000 to ₦250,000 for the first year, covering tuition, registration, laboratory and practical charges, and standard departmental levies. This figure should be treated as a planning estimate rather than a confirmed amount, since the exact charge for the 2026/2027 intake is fixed by the college’s management and stated clearly on the admission letter.
A fresher’s first-year package typically covers:
- Tuition for the ND programme
- Registration and matriculation charges
- ICT and library access fees
- Laboratory and clinical practical fees
- Internal examination charges
- Medical screening and clinic fees
- Identity card and student union dues
Hostel accommodation, uniforms, textbooks, clinical equipment, and feeding are billed or budgeted separately from the core tuition figure, since not every student takes up on-campus housing and personal equipment needs vary from one student to another.
School Fees for Returning Students
Once a student advances from the first year of the ND programme into the second year, and subsequently into the HND stage for those who continue, the college fee generally reduces from the fresher’s total, since matriculation and other one-time first-year charges no longer apply. Returning students continue to pay tuition, laboratory and practical fees, and internal examination charges each session, but without the registration and induction-related costs tied specifically to new admission. As with the fresher’s figure, the exact returning-student charge for a given session is communicated through the college’s bursary and student portal rather than fixed permanently across years.
The table below summarizes the general fee pattern for quick reference.
| Fee Component | Fresh Students (ND Year 1) | Returning Students (ND Year 2 / HND) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | Included | Included |
| Registration/matriculation | Included | Not applicable |
| Laboratory/practical fees | Included | Included |
| ICT and library fee | Included | Included |
| Internal examination fee | Included | Included |
| Identity card | Included | Renewal fee may apply |
| Estimated total per session | ₦150,000 – ₦250,000 | Lower than the fresher’s total, exact figure set per session |
| Hostel accommodation | Separate | Separate |
| Application/entrance charges | Separate, one-time | Not applicable |
Application Fee and Entrance Requirements
Admission into the ND Nursing Sciences programme at the College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele, currently runs through the Delta State collective admission process shared across its nursing college campuses, which requires candidates to register through JAMB before proceeding to campus-specific screening. For a recent admission cycle covering all Delta State nursing college campuses, including Sapele, the application fee was set at ₦20,500, a non-refundable charge payable through designated Zenith Bank accounts tied to the Ministry of Health’s Department of Nursing and Midwifery Education.
To gain admission into the ND Nursing Sciences programme, a candidate must:
- Register for UTME and select a Delta State College of Nursing Sciences campus (Agbor, Warri, Eku, Asaba, or Sapele) as their preferred institution, or proceed to a JAMB accreditation centre to change their preference to the desired campus if it was not selected initially.
- Possess at least five credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and one additional subject from Physics, Agricultural Science, Health Science, Economics, Commerce, Additional Mathematics, or Statistics, from WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB.
- Meet the sitting requirement for the chosen examination body: WAEC and NECO credits must come from not more than two sittings, while NABTEB credits must be obtained in a single sitting.
- Be at least 16 years of age at the time of application.
- Pay the stated non-refundable application fee and complete the post-UTME screening process at the designated ICT centre for their chosen campus.
Candidates applying for the HND programme must already hold a National Diploma in Nursing Sciences from a recognized and accredited institution in Nigeria, since the HND stage builds directly on the ND qualification rather than admitting candidates straight from secondary school.
How Registration and Fee Payment Work
Once admitted, a student at the College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele, follows a structured registration process before resumption. This involves first obtaining departmental clearance to confirm eligibility, then paying the prescribed session fee, followed by completing both physical and online registration steps, including course registration for the semester. The college caps course registration at a maximum of 30 credit units per semester and requires a minimum attendance rate of 80 percent to remain in good standing for examinations. All fees paid to the college are explicitly non-refundable once processed, regardless of a student’s later decision to withdraw or defer.
Late registration is permitted only within a defined window after the start of the session; beyond 90 days, a student risks being unable to complete registration for that academic period, which makes early payment and prompt registration important for both freshers and returning students.
Why Published Fee Figures Vary
Anyone researching this college’s fees online will notice inconsistent figures across different sources. This happens because the Delta State college-of-nursing system last operated a three-year Basic Nursing certificate programme with its own separate entrance examination and fee structure, distinct from the current two-year ND/HND format now in place. Some older posts still circulating online reference the earlier Basic Nursing entrance examination fee of ₦15,000, which applied under that previous admission format rather than the present JAMB-based ND admission route. For this reason, a candidate should confirm which programme structure is currently active at the point of application, since the entry route, application charges, and programme duration all differ between the two formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the College of Nursing Sciences, Sapele, still run the three-year Basic Nursing programme?
The college currently operates under the ND/HND structure, each running two years, in line with NBTE and NMCN standards. Candidates should confirm the currently active admission format directly with the college before applying.
Is the application fee refundable if a candidate is not offered admission?
No. The application fee, along with every other fee paid to the college, is stated as non-refundable under any circumstance.
Do returning students pay less than freshers?
Yes. Returning students no longer pay the one-time registration and matriculation charges that apply only to newly admitted freshers, which brings their overall session cost below what a fresher pays.
Can a candidate apply for the HND programme directly after secondary school?
No. The HND programme requires a National Diploma in Nursing Sciences from a recognized institution as a prerequisite, so candidates without this qualification must first complete the ND stage.
Does the school fee include hostel accommodation?
No. Hostel accommodation is billed separately from tuition, so students who require on-campus housing should budget for it independently of the core session fee.