Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu, formerly known as Delta State School of Marine Technology (DESOMATECH), is Nigeria’s foremost state-owned institution dedicated to maritime and marine-related technical education. Founded in 1982, the polytechnic runs National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes from its main campus in Burutu, along with additional centres at Kwale and Gbaregolor. This article explains the courses on offer, what each category of student pays, and the other charges tied to admission for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Because Delta State Maritime Polytechnic is government-owned, its fee schedule is centrally approved by the school’s Governing Council rather than set independently by individual departments, which keeps the tuition structure simple and predictable compared to many private polytechnics. Still, the school reserves the right to revise fees between sessions, so applicants should confirm the exact figures through the official portal before making payment.
About Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu
The polytechnic sits in Burutu, a riverine town in Delta State, and its location along the coast has shaped its academic identity around maritime transport, marine engineering, and related technical fields. Alongside its specialised maritime programmes, the institution also runs standard engineering, science, environmental, and business courses, which broadens its appeal beyond students specifically interested in seafaring careers. The school operates across three locations: the Burutu campus, which hosts programmes unique to maritime training, and the Kwale and Gbaregolor centres, which run the general ND and HND programmes available across all campuses.
Schools and Departments at Delta State Maritime Polytechnic
The polytechnic organises its academic departments under four schools:
- School of Engineering Technology
- School of Science and Technology
- School of Safety and Environmental Studies
- School of Maritime Transport and Business Studies
Each school covers a specific cluster of related courses, and a number of these courses run exclusively at the Burutu campus due to the specialised marine equipment and coastal access they require.
Full List of Courses Offered
School of Engineering Technology:
- Marine Engineering Technology (Burutu campus only)
- Boat and Ship Building Engineering Technology (Burutu campus only)
- Computer Engineering Technology (all campuses)
- Civil Engineering Technology (all campuses)
- Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology (all campuses)
- Mechanical Engineering Technology (all campuses)
- Oil and Gas Engineering Technology (all campuses)
- Basic Electricity and Applied Electricity (all campuses)
School of Science and Technology:
- Nautical Science and Seamanship (Burutu campus only)
- Computer Science (all campuses)
- Fisheries and Fisheries Technology (all campuses)
- Oceanography (all campuses)
- Science Laboratory Technology (all campuses)
School of Safety and Environmental Studies:
- Industrial Safety and Environmental Management Technology (all campuses)
- Estate Management (all campuses)
- Surveying and Geoinformatics (all campuses)
- Urban and Regional Planning (all campuses)
School of Maritime Transport and Business Studies:
- Maritime Transport (all campuses)
- Accounting (all campuses)
- Business Administration (all campuses)
- Marketing (all campuses)
- Public Administration (all campuses)
The distinction between courses restricted to the Burutu campus and those available across all three campuses matters for applicants, since Nautical Science and Seamanship, Marine Engineering Technology, and Boat and Ship Building Engineering Technology all require specialised marine training facilities and coastal access that only the Burutu campus provides.
Admission Requirements
To gain admission into any ND programme at Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, a candidate must meet the following conditions:
- At least five credit passes in relevant subjects through WAEC, NECO, GCE, or an equivalent examination, obtained in not more than two sittings.
- A valid UTME registration with JAMB, meeting the specific cut-off mark set for the polytechnic and the chosen course.
- A minimum age of sixteen years at the point of application.
Courses tied to maritime training, such as Nautical Science and Seamanship or Marine Engineering Technology, typically carry an added expectation around physical fitness, since students in these departments undergo swimming assessments and use life vests as part of their practical training, a detail reflected in the fee structure covered further below.
School Fees for ND1 and HND1 Students
The polytechnic groups its tuition structure into two broad categories based on the department a student belongs to, and each category charges a different rate for Delta State indigenes (Deltans) compared to students from outside the state (Non-Deltans).
| Category | Deltans | Non-Deltans |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Technology, Science and Technology, Industrial Safety departments, and Maritime Transport | ₦47,500 | ₦62,500 |
| Business Management Technology options (excluding Maritime Transport) | ₦42,500 | ₦57,500 |
This means that a student studying Marine Engineering Technology, Computer Science, Oceanography, or Industrial Safety and Environmental Management Technology falls under the first tuition bracket, while a student in Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, or Public Administration falls under the lower, second bracket. Maritime Transport, despite sitting under the School of Maritime Transport and Business Studies, is grouped with the higher fee bracket rather than the business-focused one, reflecting its closer alignment with the school’s core maritime training mandate.
Acceptance and Pre-Admission Fees
Before a newly admitted student proceeds to pay tuition, the polytechnic requires payment of an acceptance package covering registration, a medical test, and a swimming and life vest assessment. This applies to every fresh ND1 and HND1 student regardless of department, since safety training around water forms part of the polytechnic’s general orientation given its maritime setting.
| Fee | Amount | Service Charge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance/Registration | ₦25,000 | ₦1,500 | ₦26,500 |
| Medical Test/X-Ray | ₦9,000 | ₦1,500 | ₦10,500 |
| Life Vest/Swimming Test | ₦13,500 | ₦1,500 | ₦15,000 |
All three payments are processed through the Interswitch PayDirect platform, and a student must complete them before the admission portal releases the acceptance letter and clearance form.
Other Compulsory Charges
Beyond tuition and acceptance fees, new students budget for additional charges tied to accommodation, cadet training, and medical coverage.
- Cadet Regimental Training/Uniforms and Kit: ₦30,000. This covers the uniforms and basic kit every fresh student wears during regimental and orientation training, a tradition tied to the polytechnic’s maritime discipline structure.
- Accommodation: ₦20,000, compulsory for all ND1 and HND1 students. Unlike many polytechnics where hostel accommodation is optional, Delta State Maritime Polytechnic requires all first-year students to take up hostel accommodation, likely due to the discipline and safety structure built into its maritime training programme.
- Medical Fee: ₦2,000, paid separately from the medical test conducted during the acceptance stage.
Both the accommodation fee and the medical fee are paid directly into the polytechnic’s designated Ecobank account rather than through the online portal used for other charges, so students should confirm the correct account details before making payment.
Registration and Clearance Process
Newly admitted students follow a structured clearance process before they can begin classes. The general steps are:
- Confirm that the admission status on the JAMB portal or polytechnic portal reads “Admitted.”
- Proceed to make the Acceptance/Medical Fee and the Swimming/Life Vest Fee payments under the “Prospective Students” section of the portal.
- Visit the Admission Office with five photocopies each of the O-level result, a reference letter from a clergyman, lawyer, or senior civil servant, birth certificate or sworn declaration of age, school testimonial, printed acceptance letter, printed clearance form, and evidence of the fee payments made.
- Provide twelve passport photographs with a red background, taken at the school for uniformity, at a cost of ₦500, payable at the Bursary Department.
- Obtain a Clearance Code from the Admission Office.
- Return to the online portal with the Clearance Code and password to generate the Admission Letter and complete school fee payment, either online or at a designated bank branch.
Candidates who obtained their O-level results on or before 2008 must present the original certificates rather than a statement of result, and the use of an affidavit in place of an original result is not accepted under any circumstance.
Payment Guidelines
The polytechnic processes most of its fee payments through Interswitch or Verve-enabled ATM cards, or through designated Zenith Bank branches using the PayDirect system. Students paying at a bank branch should specifically request that the cashier use PayDirect and log the payment against their Applicant ID, since payments not properly logged this way will not reflect on the student’s admission record. A receipt generates automatically upon successful payment, whether the transaction happens online or at a bank counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Delta State Maritime Polytechnic a state-owned institution?
Yes. It operates under the Delta State Government and was formerly known as Delta State School of Marine Technology (DESOMATECH) before its designation as a maritime polytechnic.
Do Non-Deltans pay a different tuition rate?
Yes. Non-Deltans pay a higher tuition rate than indigenes across both fee brackets, a common practice among Nigerian state-owned tertiary institutions to prioritise affordability for residents of the state.
Is hostel accommodation compulsory for first-year students?
Yes. Accommodation is compulsory for all ND1 and HND1 students, unlike at many other polytechnics where hostel space is optional.
Which courses are only available at the Burutu campus?
Marine Engineering Technology, Boat and Ship Building Engineering Technology, and Nautical Science and Seamanship run exclusively at the Burutu campus due to the specialised marine facilities and coastal access these programmes require.
Can students study at the Kwale or Gbaregolor campuses instead of Burutu?
Yes, for all courses except the three maritime-specific programmes listed above, which remain tied to the Burutu campus alone.
Final Note
Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu continues to hold its position as Nigeria’s leading institution for maritime technical training, with tuition that remains considerably lower than what private polytechnics charge for comparable engineering and science programmes. Given that fee schedules at government-owned institutions can shift slightly from one academic session to the next, applicants preparing for the 2026/2027 session should confirm the current tuition and other charges directly through the polytechnic’s official portal or bursary office before making any payment.