Taraba State runs four main categories of nursing and midwifery training, all recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN): a state-owned college offering the standard Basic Nursing and Midwifery programmes, a federal hospital-based nursing school, a satellite college for diploma-level nursing outside the state capital, and a university department offering a full nursing degree. Anyone planning to study nursing in Taraba State needs to confirm which of these institutions holds current NMCN accreditation, since only graduates of council-approved schools are eligible to sit the professional licensing examination that qualifies them to practise as a Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife.
This article lists the approved nursing institutions operating in Taraba State, explains what each one offers, and breaks down what students can expect to pay per session.
Why NMCN Accreditation Matters in Taraba State
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is the regulatory body responsible for approving every nursing and midwifery training institution in the country and for administering the licensing examination that turns a graduate into a practising professional. Accreditation is time-bound rather than permanent: full accreditation lasts five years, provisional accreditation lasts two years, and a school placed under embargo cannot admit new students until it corrects the deficiencies that led to the embargo. A school that carried full accreditation a few years ago may not still hold it today, so applicants should confirm an institution’s current status before paying any application or tuition fee.
Graduating from an unaccredited or embargoed nursing school in Taraba State, or anywhere else in Nigeria, means a student cannot sit the NMCN licensing examination, which makes the training effectively unusable for professional nursing practice. Every institution covered in this article holds recognised NMCN status.
Categories of Nursing Education Available in Taraba State
Nursing training in Taraba State falls into four broad categories, and knowing the difference helps a prospective student pick the right path based on budget, entry route, and career goals.
The first category is the state college pathway, represented by the Taraba State College of Nursing and Midwifery in Jalingo. This is the state government’s flagship nursing training institution, running the standard three-year Basic Nursing programme and its Midwifery equivalent, with a more recent shift toward an ND/HND nursing model in line with National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) guidelines.
The second category is the federal hospital pathway, represented by the School of Nursing attached to the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo. This school trains Registered Nurses through hospital-based clinical instruction under federal government oversight, following the same NMCN-approved curriculum used across similar federal nursing schools nationwide.
The third category is the satellite/post-basic pathway, made up of smaller specialised institutions outside the state capital. The College of Health Technology, Zing runs a three-year diploma in Nursing, the School of Post Basic Midwifery, Zing runs a one-year post-basic diploma in Midwifery for nurses who are already Registered Nurses, and the School of Post Basic Nursing, Jalingo offers one-year post-basic diplomas in specialised areas such as Accident and Emergency Nursing, Ophthalmic Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and Community Health Nursing, all restricted to candidates who already hold an RN qualification.
The fourth category is the university degree pathway, offered through Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, which runs a Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc.) degree through its Department of Nursing Sciences, giving students a route to a full university qualification rather than a diploma-level certificate.
List of Approved Nursing Schools in Taraba State and Their Fees
The table below summarises the main NMCN-recognised nursing and midwifery programmes available in Taraba State, the type of institution running each one, the duration of study, and the general fee range per session.
| Institution | Programme | Duration | Fee Range (Per Session) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taraba State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Jalingo | Basic Nursing (RN) / ND-HND Nursing model | 3–4 years | ₦150,000 – ₦250,000 |
| School of Nursing, Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo | Basic General Nursing (RN) | 3 years | ₦60,000 – ₦85,000 tuition (₦220,000 – ₦310,000 total first year) |
| College of Health Technology, Zing | Basic Nursing Diploma (RN) | 3 years | ₦50,000 – ₦150,000 |
| School of Post Basic Midwifery, Zing | Post-Basic Midwifery (RM) | 1 year | ₦50,000 – ₦150,000 |
| School of Post Basic Nursing, Jalingo | Post-Basic Specialisations (A&E, Ophthalmic, Psychiatric, Community Health) | 1 year | ₦50,000 – ₦150,000 |
| Taraba State University, Jalingo | Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc.) | 4–5 years | ₦25,000 – ₦110,000 |
These figures reflect tuition and core institutional charges only. Application forms, acceptance fees, uniforms, medical screening, and hostel accommodation are typically charged separately and are not included in the ranges above. Fee amounts also change from one admission cycle to the next, so students should treat these figures as a general guide and confirm the exact current amount with each institution before making payment.
Taraba State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Jalingo
This is the state government’s principal nursing training institution and the most established route into nursing in Taraba State. The college is fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and, for recent admission cycles, has moved toward offering training under an ND/HND nursing model in addition to its traditional three-year Basic Nursing programme, in line with NBTE-recognised standards. Application into the college requires a minimum of five O’Level credit passes, including relevant science subjects, obtained in not more than two sittings from WAEC or NECO, with NABTEB results also generally accepted. Candidates must be at least 17 years old at the point of application and must be residents of Taraba State for certain admission slots. The application fee for the college is a modest one-time charge, separate from the tuition figure, and first-year institutional costs including tuition, accommodation, and administrative charges typically fall within the ₦150,000 to ₦250,000 range.
School of Nursing, Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo
This school runs a three-year Basic General Nursing programme under federal government administration, attached to the Federal Medical Centre in Jalingo. As a federally-run institution, it follows the standard NMCN curriculum for Registered Nurse training and benefits from a functioning hospital environment for clinical placement. Annual tuition falls between ₦60,000 and ₦85,000, while the total cost for a new student in the first year, once accommodation, uniforms, and other one-time charges are factored in, typically ranges from ₦220,000 to ₦310,000.
College of Health Technology, Zing
Located outside the state capital, this college offers a three-year diploma-level Basic Nursing programme, giving students in the southern part of Taraba State a nearby alternative to travelling to Jalingo for training. Fees follow the general pattern seen at similar diploma-level institutions across the state, generally falling between ₦50,000 and ₦150,000 per session depending on the specific charges applied by the college in a given year.
School of Post Basic Midwifery, Zing
This school offers a one-year post-basic diploma in Midwifery, open only to candidates who already hold a Registered Nurse (RN) qualification. It gives working nurses in and around the Zing area a route to add a Midwifery qualification without having to travel to a different state, and its fee structure mirrors other post-basic programmes in the state, typically within the ₦50,000 to ₦150,000 range for the full one-year programme.
School of Post Basic Nursing, Jalingo
This institution runs four separate one-year post-basic diploma programmes: Accident and Emergency Nursing, Ophthalmic Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and Community Health Nursing. All four require an existing RN qualification and a valid NMCN practising licence before enrolment. These specialisations allow practising nurses to move into higher-paying, more specialised clinical roles, and fees generally sit in the same ₦50,000 to ₦150,000 range applied across the state’s other post-basic programmes.
Taraba State University, Jalingo – Bachelor of Nursing Science
TSU’s Department of Nursing Sciences runs the Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc.) degree, giving Taraba State students a route to a full university nursing qualification rather than a diploma. As a state university, TSU’s overall fee structure is considerably lower than private university equivalents, with published fees for indigene students generally in the ₦25,000 to ₦35,000 range for many courses, though science and health-related programmes such as Nursing typically attract a higher charge within the university’s overall ₦40,000 to ₦110,000 fee band once departmental and laboratory-related charges are included. A newly admitted student should also budget for an acceptance fee, generally between ₦5,000 and ₦15,000, payable through the university’s official portal to confirm admission. Admission into the B.N.Sc. programme follows the standard federal/state university route: JAMB UTME registration with the subject combination of English Language, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, five O’Level credits in the same subjects plus Mathematics, and a Post-UTME screening exercise conducted by the university.
General Admission Requirements Across Taraba Nursing Schools
While each institution runs its own screening process, the baseline entry requirements for nursing training in Taraba State follow a consistent pattern across the diploma-level and university-level programmes.
- Candidates need a minimum of five O’Level credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics from WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB, obtained in not more than two sittings.
- Applicants for the diploma-level Basic Nursing and ND/HND-model programmes must be at least 17 years old at the point of application.
- University-based B.N.Sc. programmes require JAMB UTME registration with the institution selected as the first-choice school, followed by a Post-UTME screening exercise.
- Post-basic specialisation programmes, including those at the Post Basic Nursing school in Jalingo and the Post Basic Midwifery school in Zing, require candidates to already hold a valid Registered Nurse certificate and current NMCN practising licence.
- Direct-entry and hospital-based diploma programmes generally do not require a UTME score, relying instead on the institution’s own entrance examination and interview process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most affordable nursing school in Taraba State?
Taraba State University’s Bachelor of Nursing Science degree and the School of Nursing at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo offer some of the lowest tuition figures among the state’s approved nursing institutions, though total first-year costs vary once accommodation and one-time charges are added.
Do I need JAMB to study nursing in Taraba State?
It depends on the institution. Taraba State University’s B.N.Sc. programme requires JAMB UTME registration, while the state college, Zing satellite programmes, and post-basic schools generally admit through their own entrance examinations rather than JAMB.
What is the difference between the diploma nursing programme and the B.N.Sc. degree in Taraba State?
The diploma-level Basic Nursing programmes at the state college and Zing take three to four years and lead to Registered Nurse status. The B.N.Sc. at TSU takes four to five years, leads to a full university degree, and opens broader opportunities in postgraduate study, teaching, and international nursing practice.
Can nurses specialise further after completing Basic Nursing in Taraba State?
Yes. Registered Nurses can pursue one-year post-basic diplomas at the School of Post Basic Nursing, Jalingo, or the School of Post Basic Midwifery, Zing, in specialisations such as Accident and Emergency Nursing, Ophthalmic Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Community Health Nursing, or Midwifery.
How current should fee information be before applying?
Fee figures for Nigerian nursing schools are revised regularly, so applicants should always confirm the exact current amount directly through each institution’s admissions office or official portal rather than relying solely on previously published figures.