Anyone planning to study nursing in Adamawa State needs to start with one non-negotiable check: is the institution approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN)? A nursing certificate from an unapproved institution is not recognised for professional licensing, so admission-seekers should treat NMCN approval as the first filter before even considering cost. This article lists the nursing and midwifery institutions approved to operate in Adamawa State, explains what each one offers, and breaks down what students should expect to pay for the 2026/2027 academic session and beyond.
Why NMCN Approval Matters Before Checking Fees
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is the regulatory body responsible for accrediting nursing training institutions across the country. It grants either full accreditation, which lasts five years, or provisional accreditation, which lasts two years, and it can place an indefinite embargo on new admissions at any institution found to have deficiencies until those issues are resolved and a resource verification visit confirms improvement. A candidate who trains at a school without valid NMCN accreditation risks being unable to sit for the licensing examination or register as a nurse or midwife after graduation, regardless of how much was paid in school fees. For this reason, every nursing institution named in this article is one recognised on the Council’s approved list for Adamawa State, and applicants are still advised to verify current accreditation status directly with the Council before making any payment, since accreditation status can change between review cycles.
Approved Nursing and Midwifery Institutions in Adamawa State
Adamawa State currently has a mix of state-government, federal, and private institutions offering nursing-related training, spanning basic nursing, midwifery, post-basic specialisation, community health programmes, and full university degree routes.
Adamawa State College of Nursing and Midwifery (ASCNM), Yola is the oldest and most established nursing training institution in the state. It traces its origin to schools established in the former Gongola State in the 1970s, which were merged and later reorganised following the creation of Adamawa State in 1991. The college is located along Fufore Road, Yola Bypass, adjacent to the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital. It runs several NMCN-approved programmes, including Basic Nursing, Basic Midwifery, Post-Basic Nursing (for registered midwives seeking RN status), a Return Programme for licensed community nurses and midwives who wish to upgrade, and Community Nursing and Community Midwifery programmes designed to produce healthcare workers for rural practice.
College of Nursing Sciences, Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola is a more recently developed institution attached to the teaching hospital formerly known as Federal Medical Centre Yola. It offers General Nursing, Basic Midwifery, and post-basic specialisation programmes, giving the state a second dedicated nursing training pathway alongside ASCNM.
School of Peri-operative Nursing, Federal Medical Center, Yola, appears on the Council’s approved list as a specialised programme for nurses seeking additional qualification in peri-operative (theatre/surgical) nursing care, typically open to candidates who are already registered nurses.
Modibbo Adama University, a federal university based in Yola, runs a Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc.) degree programme. This route produces graduate nurses through a full university degree rather than the diploma-style certificate awarded by the standalone colleges, and it follows standard university admission requirements through UTME or Direct Entry.
American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, a private university, also offers a Bachelor of Nursing Science programme, positioned as a premium private-university route into the profession, with facilities and a fee structure that reflect its status as a private institution.
Programme Types Offered Across Adamawa State’s Nursing Institutions
Understanding the different categories of nursing programmes helps in comparing fees meaningfully, since the certificate awarded and the entry requirement differ across categories:
- Basic Nursing (Registered Nursing/RN) — a diploma-level programme that produces a Registered Nurse, typically running for three years, requiring five O’Level credits including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry.
- Basic Midwifery (Registered Midwife/RM) — a parallel diploma track focused on midwifery, often taken either as a standalone programme or after completing Basic Nursing.
- Post-Basic Nursing/Post-Basic Midwifery — a shorter, specialised programme for candidates who are already registered in one field (for example, a registered midwife) and want to add the other qualification.
- Community Nursing and Community Midwifery — certificate-level programmes with a slightly lower entry requirement, designed to train healthcare workers for primary healthcare and rural community service, and generally the most affordable route into the profession.
- Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc.) — a full university degree programme, run by Modibbo Adama University and AUN, that combines nursing training with a broader academic curriculum and typically takes about five years to complete.
School Fees for Nursing Programmes in Adamawa State
Fees vary significantly depending on whether the institution is a state college, a federal teaching-hospital college, a federal university, or a private university, and whether the applicant is an Adamawa State indigene. The table below gives the general fee range reported for recent sessions across the state’s approved nursing institutions. Because fees are reviewed periodically and differ by indigene status and specific programme, applicants should confirm the exact current amount directly with each institution before applying.
| Institution/Programme | Approximate Fee Range (per session) |
|---|---|
| ASCNM — Basic Nursing/Basic Midwifery | ₦60,000 – ₦150,000 |
| ASCNM — Community Nursing/Community Midwifery | ₦40,000 – ₦100,000 |
| ASCNM — Post-Basic Nursing | ₦80,000 and above |
| MAUTH — College of Nursing Sciences | ₦100,000 – ₦200,000 |
| Modibbo Adama University — B.N.Sc. | ₦50,000 – ₦100,000 |
| American University of Nigeria — B.N.Sc. | ₦2,500,000 – ₦4,000,000 |
The wide gap between the state/federal institutions and AUN reflects the fundamental difference between publicly subsidised nursing education and private-university tuition, which covers a different scale of facilities, staffing, and campus resources. For most applicants working with a modest budget, the state college and the federal university route remain the more accessible options, while AUN suits candidates specifically seeking a private-university learning environment and who can fund it.
Additional Costs Beyond Tuition
Nursing students in Adamawa State, as with nursing students anywhere in Nigeria, should budget for costs beyond the session fee itself:
- Admission form/application fee — a non-refundable charge paid when purchasing the admission form, generally a modest amount in the range of a few thousand naira.
- Acceptance fee — paid once admission is confirmed, to secure the candidate’s place in the programme.
- Uniform and clinical kit — nursing programmes require specific uniforms, a nursing bag, and basic clinical instruments (such as a stethoscope and thermometer), which are purchased separately from tuition.
- Hostel accommodation — where available, hostel fees are billed separately from tuition and vary by institution.
- Practical/clinical posting fees — some institutions bill an additional charge to cover supervision and materials used during hospital-based clinical postings, which form a core part of nursing training.
- NMCN registration and licensing exam fees — payable near the end of the programme, when a graduating student registers to sit the Council’s licensing examination, separate from the training institution’s own fees.
Admission Requirements Common to Adamawa State Nursing Institutions
Across the approved institutions, admission into the standard Basic Nursing and Basic Midwifery programmes generally requires:
- A minimum of five O’Level credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, obtained in not more than two sittings.
- Successful performance in the institution’s entrance examination and/or interview, since most schools of nursing conduct their own screening rather than relying solely on UTME.
- For Post-Basic programmes, candidates must already hold a valid registration as a midwife or mental health nurse, in addition to meeting the basic O’Level requirement.
- For Community Nursing and Community Midwifery, a slightly reduced requirement of four credits, including English Language, Biology, and two of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, applies at some institutions.
- Candidates applying to the university-based B.N.Sc. programmes at Modibbo Adama University or AUN go through the standard university admission process, including UTME and post-UTME screening, in addition to meeting the science subject requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the oldest approved nursing school in Adamawa State? The Adamawa State College of Nursing and Midwifery (ASCNM) in Yola is the oldest and most established, tracing its history back to nursing and midwifery schools set up in the former Gongola State before Adamawa State was created in 1991.
Can I study nursing in Adamawa State without JAMB/UTME? Yes. Admission into the standalone nursing and midwifery colleges, such as ASCNM and the MAUTH College of Nursing Sciences, does not require UTME; candidates apply directly to the institution and sit an entrance examination. UTME is required only for the university-based B.N.Sc. programmes at Modibbo Adama University and AUN.
Is a diploma from a school of nursing the same as a university nursing degree? No. A school of nursing produces a Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Midwife (RM) through a diploma-style certificate, while a B.N.Sc. from a university confers a full degree. Both routes are professionally recognised once the institution is NMCN-approved, but graduates of Registered Nursing programmes are not eligible for NYSC, while Degree, ND, and HND nursing graduates are.
Why is AUN’s nursing fee so much higher than the other options in Adamawa State? AUN is a private university, so its fees reflect private-university funding, facilities, and staffing costs, unlike the state college, the teaching hospital college, and Modibbo Adama University, which benefit from government subsidy.
Conclusion
Adamawa State offers several NMCN-approved pathways into the nursing profession, ranging from the long-established Adamawa State College of Nursing and Midwifery and the newer MAUTH College of Nursing Sciences, to full university degree routes at Modibbo Adama University and the American University of Nigeria. Fees differ substantially depending on the institution type, the specific programme, and indigene status, so applicants should match their budget and career goals — whether that is quick licensing for community practice or a full university nursing degree — to the right institution, and always confirm current fees and accreditation status directly with the institution and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria before applying.