Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) runs its medical and health science training through the College of Health Sciences, which houses the Faculty of Clinical Medicine along with several allied health departments. As a state-owned institution, DELSU applies a fee structure that treats indigenes of Delta State and non-indigenes differently, and this distinction matters more for medical courses than for most other programmes because of the higher practical, clinical, and laboratory costs involved. This article outlines every medical and health-related course offered at DELSU, what each one costs for the 2026/2027 session, and what determines the final amount a student pays.
The College of Health Sciences at DELSU
DELSU’s College of Health Sciences is based in Abraka, with major clinical training sites at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) in Oghara and the Central Hospital in Warri. The Faculty of Clinical Medicine, which trains undergraduate medical doctors, operates within this college and has produced multiple sets of graduating doctors since its establishment. Beyond the medicine programme itself, the college also runs several allied health departments that fall under the broader “medical courses” category, since they share clinical exposure, laboratory training, and health science coursework with the medicine programme.
List of Medical and Health-Related Courses at DELSU
The table below lists the medical and health science courses currently offered at DELSU, along with the degree awarded and the general admission difficulty relative to other courses in the university.
| Course | Degree Awarded | Admission Competitiveness |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | MBBS | Extremely competitive; highest JAMB cut off mark in the university |
| Nursing Science | B.NSc | Extremely competitive; one of the most sought-after courses at DELSU |
| Pharmacy | B.Pharm | Highly competitive; requires a strong JAMB score |
| Physiology | B.Sc. Physiology | Competitive; a foundational medical science course |
| Anatomy | B.Sc. Anatomy | Competitive; a foundational medical science course |
| Medical Laboratory Science / Science Laboratory Technology | B.Sc / B.MLS | Competitive; strong demand due to diagnostic career prospects |
| Pharmacology and Therapeutics | B.Sc. Pharmacology | Moderately competitive |
Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, and Pharmacy consistently record the highest departmental cut off marks in the university, since they lead directly to clinical or licensed professional practice and attract the largest volume of applicants each admission cycle.
Admission Requirements for DELSU Medical Courses
Admission into any of DELSU’s medical and health science courses requires candidates to meet both the university’s general entry requirements and course-specific conditions:
- O’Level credit passes: a minimum of five credits including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, obtained from WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB in not more than two sittings.
- JAMB UTME score: DELSU’s general baseline cut off mark is 150, but this baseline does not apply to medical courses. Medicine and Surgery typically requires a score in the region of 300 and above to be competitive, Nursing Science requires roughly 280 and above, while Pharmacy generally requires a strong score above 220 to stand a realistic chance during departmental screening.
- Post-UTME/Direct Entry screening: candidates must complete DELSU’s post-UTME screening exercise, which currently carries a small non-refundable screening fee, and upload verified O’Level and Direct Entry documents to the JAMB CAPS portal before the stated deadline.
- Indigene status verification: since DELSU is a state university, indigenes of Delta State receive preferential quota consideration, generally accounting for a significantly larger share of admission slots compared to non-indigenes, particularly for high-demand courses like Medicine and Nursing.
Candidates who did not originally select DELSU as their first choice on JAMB must carry out a change of institution at an accredited JAMB CBT centre before the application deadline in order to be considered.
DELSU School Fees for Medical Courses (2026/2027 Session)
DELSU operates a differentiated fee structure based on indigene status, and medical courses generally attract higher charges than most other faculties because of laboratory, clinical, and practical components built into the fee schedule. The table below gives the general fee pattern that applies to medical and health science courses for the 2026/2027 session.
| Fee Category | Delta State Indigenes | Non-Indigenes |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance fee (fresh students, one-time) | ₦30,000 | ₦40,000 |
| General school fees, fresh students (medical/health courses) | Approximately ₦150,000 – ₦273,000, depending on course and recent fee reviews | Approximately ₦180,000 – ₦300,000+, depending on course and recent fee reviews |
| General school fees, returning students | Typically lower than the fresh-student figure once the acceptance fee and one-time new-student charges are removed | Typically lower than the fresh-student figure once the acceptance fee and one-time new-student charges are removed |
| Post-UTME/screening fee | ₦2,000 | ₦2,000 |
DELSU’s fee schedule has seen upward revisions in recent sessions following administrative changes at the university, so the figures a fresh Medicine or Nursing student pays today may sit noticeably higher than what was published in earlier academic sessions. Because of this, exact departmental figures for Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, and Pharmacy should always be confirmed directly on the DELSU student portal at the point of registration rather than assumed from previous years’ figures, since the university reviews and adjusts fees periodically and sometimes introduces additional charges specific to clinical and laboratory-based courses.
Why Medical Courses Cost More Than Other Programmes at DELSU
Medical and health science courses at DELSU typically carry higher total charges than arts, social science, or education courses for a few consistent reasons:
- Clinical and laboratory practical fees: Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Medical Laboratory Science all involve hands-on laboratory work and clinical postings at DELSUTH or the Central Hospital in Warri, which come with additional facility and supervision charges not applied to non-practical courses.
- Extended programme duration: Medicine and Surgery runs for six years, longer than most other undergraduate programmes at the university, which means the cumulative cost of the degree, even at a similar per-session rate, is higher over the full duration of study.
- Equipment and consumables: courses such as Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Laboratory Science require dissection materials, laboratory reagents, and other consumables that are billed as part of departmental charges.
- Accreditation and regulatory compliance costs: professional programmes like Medicine and Nursing must meet strict standards set by bodies such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), and maintaining this compliance factors into the resources the university allocates to these departments.
Payment Procedure
Fee payment at DELSU follows a standard sequence for both new and returning students in medical courses:
- Confirm admission through the JAMB CAPS portal and accept the offer.
- Log in to the DELSU student portal using the credentials issued after admission confirmation.
- Pay the acceptance fee first, since this secures the admission slot and must be completed within the timeline set by the university.
- Generate an invoice for the general school fees on the portal, selecting the correct faculty, department, and level.
- Complete payment through the approved bank channels or online payment gateway linked to the portal.
- Print the payment receipt and proceed to physical or online course registration, which is typically required before a student can access lecture materials or sit for continuous assessments.
FAQs
Does DELSU charge the same school fees for all medical courses?
No. While the university applies a broadly similar indigene/non-indigene structure across departments, Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, and Pharmacy generally attract higher charges than other health science courses because of their longer duration, higher practical content, and stricter regulatory requirements.
What JAMB score is needed for Medicine and Surgery at DELSU?
Medicine and Surgery is the most competitive course at DELSU, and candidates typically need a score of around 300 or higher to be considered, though the exact competitive threshold shifts slightly each session depending on the number and strength of applicants.
Do non-indigenes pay significantly more than indigenes at DELSU?
Yes. As a state university, DELSU charges a higher acceptance fee and general school fee to non-indigenes compared to indigenes of Delta State, and non-indigenes are also required to score higher in JAMB to be competitive for limited admission slots, since a large share of quota positions is reserved for Delta State indigenes.
Where can a student confirm the exact current fee for a specific medical course?
The DELSU student portal generates the most accurate and current figure once a student’s admission is confirmed and their department is selected, since fees have been reviewed upward in recent sessions and can differ from older published figures.
Is DELSU Nursing Science different in cost from Medicine and Surgery?
Yes, generally. Although both are highly competitive and fall under the College of Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery is a longer six-year programme with more extensive clinical rotations, which typically makes its cumulative cost higher than Nursing Science over the full duration of study.