The College of Nursing Sciences under the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, trains students for the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) Nursing programmes. It sits within the teaching hospital complex, which gives students clinical exposure from an early stage of the programme. Because the school draws applicants from Ekiti State and from other states across Nigeria, one of the most common questions from prospective and current students concerns the fee structure: what freshers pay in their first year, what returning students pay afterward, and how the charges differ for indigenes and non-indigenes of Ekiti State. This article addresses those questions directly.
About the School of Nursing, EKSUTH, Ado-Ekiti
EKSUTH functions as the main teaching hospital serving Ekiti State University’s College of Medicine, and its College of Nursing Sciences operates as the nursing training arm attached to the hospital. The programme runs for a set number of years covering theoretical instruction, skills laboratory practice, and supervised clinical postings inside the teaching hospital’s wards and departments. Admission into the ND/HND Nursing programme requires a UTME score that meets the college’s benchmark, along with the standard five O’Level credits in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, obtained in not more than two sittings. Candidates go through a Computer-Assisted Screening (CAS) exercise conducted by the college after meeting the JAMB requirement, and only those who scale this screening receive an admission offer.
Because the school is state-owned and hospital-affiliated, its fee structure follows the same pattern seen in most Nigerian government nursing schools: a heavier first-year bill for freshers and a lighter, more predictable bill for students returning to continue the programme in subsequent years.
Application Fee for Prospective Students
Before admission, a candidate first purchases and completes the college’s application/screening form. This fee is paid online through the college portal and is separate from the school fees paid after admission is confirmed. The application fee for the ND/HND Nursing programme has generally fallen in the range of about ₦10,000 to ₦15,500 depending on the admission cycle, and it must be paid strictly through the official college portal, since the college regularly warns candidates against making payments to unofficial accounts or third-party agents. This fee covers registration for the Computer-Assisted Screening exercise and does not count toward tuition once admission is offered.
School Fees for Freshers
Once a candidate is offered admission, the college releases a fee schedule specifically for newly admitted students. This fresher’s schedule is higher than what returning students pay because it bundles several one-time charges alongside the regular academic fees. A typical breakdown for freshers includes:
- Acceptance fee — paid to confirm the candidate’s intention to take up the offered admission slot.
- Tuition fee — the core academic charge covering lectures, tutorials, and continuous assessment for the session.
- Registration and matriculation fee — covers formal enrolment and the matriculation exercise for new students.
- Identity card fee — for the student card used across the campus and teaching hospital.
- Medical screening fee — a compulsory health check before resumption, standard for students who will be working in clinical wards.
- Uniform and clinical kit fee — covers the first set of ward uniform, cap, and basic nursing materials.
- Departmental and laboratory fee — covers use of the skills laboratory and consumables for practical sessions.
- Library and ICT fee — grants access to the library and computer-based learning resources.
- Development levy — a general levy that supports infrastructure and facility upkeep.
- Examination fee — covers internal tests and end-of-session examinations.
- Hostel accommodation fee — charged separately for students who apply for and are allocated hostel space, since not every fresher is guaranteed accommodation automatically.
Because Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, like most state institutions, distinguishes between indigenes and non-indigenes of Ekiti State, freshers who are not indigenes of the state typically pay a higher total than indigenes in the same admission year. This distinction is applied at the tuition and acceptance fee level rather than across every single charge, but it still affects the overall total a non-indigene fresher pays compared to an indigene fresher.
School Fees for Returning Students
Returning students, meaning those who already completed their first year and are progressing to the next level of the programme, are billed differently from freshers. Since they already paid acceptance, matriculation, ID card, and first-time medical screening charges in their first year, these one-off items drop off their fee schedule. A returning student’s typical charges include:
- Tuition fee for the new session
- Development levy
- Library and ICT fee
- Laboratory and clinical practicum fee
- Examination fee
- Hostel accommodation fee, only if the student applies for a hostel space that session
- Replacement charges for uniform, ID card, or kit only if the original items are lost or damaged
The indigene/non-indigene distinction that applies to freshers generally carries over into the returning students’ schedule as well, since tuition itself is usually assessed on that basis throughout the entire duration of the programme, not only in the first year.
Fresher vs Returning Student Fees: A Comparison
The table below summarizes which charges apply to freshers and which apply to returning students at the School of Nursing, EKSUTH, Ado-Ekiti. It is structured to show the pattern of charges rather than fixed amounts, since the college reviews and republishes its fee circular at the start of each session, and figures can be adjusted from one academic year to the next.
| Fee Component | Freshers | Returning Students |
|---|---|---|
| Application/screening fee | Paid before admission | Not applicable |
| Acceptance fee | Paid once, after admission offer | Not applicable |
| Matriculation/registration fee | Paid | Not applicable |
| ID card fee | Paid | Only if replacing a lost/damaged card |
| Medical screening fee | Paid | Not applicable (unless a fresh screening is required) |
| Tuition fee | Paid (indigene/non-indigene rate applies) | Paid (indigene/non-indigene rate applies) |
| Development levy | Paid | Paid |
| Library/ICT fee | Paid | Paid |
| Laboratory/clinical practicum fee | Paid | Paid |
| Examination fee | Paid | Paid |
| Uniform/clinical kit fee | Paid (first set) | Only if replacing worn-out kit |
| Hostel fee | Optional, billed separately | Optional, billed separately |
| Overall first-session total | Highest of all sessions | Lower than freshers’ total |
Indigene vs Non-Indigene Fee Structure
Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital applies a differentiated tuition rate based on state of origin, a practice common across state-owned tertiary and para-medical institutions in Nigeria. Candidates who are indigenes of Ekiti State, meaning they can present a valid certificate of origin from an Ekiti State local government, are billed at the lower tuition rate. Candidates from other states are classified as non-indigenes and billed at a higher rate, usually a difference of several thousand naira per session rather than a difference in every individual charge. This gap is applied consistently across both fresher and returning student fee schedules, so a non-indigene should expect to pay more than an indigene in the same class throughout the programme, not only in the first year.
Students should submit their certificate of origin or state indigene documentation early during registration, since the college requires this proof before applying the lower indigene tuition rate. Failure to submit proper documentation on time can result in a student being billed at the non-indigene rate by default until the discrepancy is resolved with the bursary or admissions office.
How Payment Is Made
Payment at the School of Nursing, EKSUTH, follows the standard process used across most Nigerian government-run nursing and health training institutions:
- Log in to the official college portal using the candidate’s registered details.
- Download or view the current session’s approved fee schedule, checking specifically whether it is the fresher’s schedule or the returning students’ schedule, and whether the indigene or non-indigene rate applies.
- Generate a payment invoice or reference number through the portal.
- Pay through the designated bank or the Remita platform indicated on the portal; payments made outside these official channels are not recognized by the college.
- Retain the payment receipt or e-confirmation and upload proof of payment on the portal where required.
- Proceed with course registration, and where applicable, hostel application, once payment has been confirmed by the bursary.
The college consistently discourages payment into personal accounts or through unofficial intermediaries, since such payments cannot be verified or refunded if a candidate is later found not to have secured genuine admission.
What the Fees Typically Exclude
A few recurring costs generally fall outside the official school fees and should be planned for separately:
- Daily feeding and personal upkeep
- Transportation within the teaching hospital complex and to any external clinical posting sites
- Personal textbooks and stationery beyond what the library provides
- Extra sets of uniform beyond the first issued set
- Personal health expenses outside the compulsory entry medical screening
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the acceptance fee refundable if admission is later declined?
No. Once paid, the acceptance fee is generally non-refundable, since it confirms that the candidate has taken up the offered admission slot.
Does the fee for indigenes and non-indigenes stay the same throughout the programme?
Yes, the differentiated rate generally applies for the full duration of the programme, not only in the first year, as long as the student’s indigene status remains as declared at admission.
Is hostel accommodation compulsory for freshers?
No. Hostel accommodation is billed separately from the standard school fees and depends on whether a student applies for and is allocated a hostel space for that session.
Where can students confirm the exact current fee amount?
The exact figures for the current session are published through the official EKSUTH College of Nursing Sciences portal or communicated directly by the bursary office at the point of registration. Because fees are reviewed periodically, students should always use the schedule issued for the session they are entering or resuming, rather than figures from an earlier academic year.
Can school fees be paid in instalments?
Instalment payment, where permitted, is arranged directly with the bursary office on a session-by-session basis. Students anticipating difficulty meeting the full payment deadline should contact the bursary before the deadline rather than after it.