Abia Poly is a State government Polytechnic located in Aba, Abia State Nigeria that was established in 1992. Engr. Dr. Okoro Christopher Kalu is their current rector.
The Poly has different facilities or schools including the School of Science & Engineering and the School of Business Administration, etc. Abia Poly offers 28 courses via their 5 schools.
Abia Poly Highlights
| Established Year | 1992 |
| Approved by (Accredited by) | National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) |
| Institute Type | Public Polytechnic |
| Cutoff | A minimum of 120 for NDMinimum of 2.50 CGPA for HND |
| Total Number of Schools and Courses | 5 Schools/Faculties and 28 Courses |
Abia Poly Departments/Courses Offered
| Faculty/School | Department |
|---|---|
| 1. School of Business and Management Technology | 1. Accountancy 2. Banking & Finance 3. Marketing 4. Public Administration 5. Office Technology & Management 6. Business Administration & Management |
| 2. School of Engineering & Technology | 7. Welding & Fabrication Engineering 8. Mechanical Engineering 9. Computer Engineering 10. Civil Engineering |
| 3. School of Environmental Design and Technology | 11. Estate Management 12. Surveying & Geoinformatics 13. Architecture 14. Building Technology 15. Quantity Surveying |
| 4. School of Science & Industrial Technology | 16. Computer Science 17. Statistics 18. Chemistry/Biochemistry 19. Biology/Microbiology 20. Physics with Electronics 21. Food Science and Technology 22. Tourism and Hospitality 23. Science Laboratory Technology 24. Hospitality Management Technology |
| 5. School of General Studies & Communication Technology | 25. Mathematics 26. Humanities 27. Languages & Communication 28. Mass Communication |
Not to mention that there are some very affordable community colleges in the US in states like New York, California, Georgia, Florida, etc.
Abia State Polytechnic School Fees
All students pay the same amount of school fees from ND 1 to HND 2.
However, there is a late payment fee according to one of the final-year students in Mechanical Engineering I met (who chose to be anonymous). He said that during your ND1 (National Diploma) and HND 1 (Higher National Diploma), you must pay the full fee at once. You are given the option of paying in two instalments in your ND2 and HND 2.
Well, the downside is late payment, once you fail to pay your whole fee during the expected time, you’ll be charged a ₦10,000 late payment fee. And, if you don’t clear the late payment fee the next year, it will be doubled, and it continues like that.
For instance, if you didn’t pay your late payment fee after five (5) years, you’ll need to pay ₦50,000 when you are ready for your clearance.
| Item | Price (₦) |
|---|---|
| School Fees | 53,150 |
| Department Fee | 610 |
| Development Levy | 15,000 |
| Medical X-ray/Laboratory | 4,050 |
| SUG Fees | 1,600 |
| WiFi Fee | 6,000 |
| Total | ₦80,410 |
Abia Poly Cutoff Mark 2024
| Program | 2024 cutoff marks |
|---|---|
| National Diploma (ND) | Minimum of 120 |
| Higher National Diploma (HND) | Minimum of 2.5 CGPA |
Abia Poly Admission Requirements
According to the school candidates with one or two of the following requirements may be considered for admission into the National Diploma Programme.
- SSCE/NECO/NABTEB/GCE o’TC 11 with credit level passes in five subjects relevant to the programme obtained at not more than two sitting
- The National Technical Certificate (NTC) or National Business Certificate (NBC) with a pass in a trade plus four relevant academic subjects
- A satisfactory score in the UTME examination, which is conducted annually by JAMB
Other Requirements for ND
- Five credits in relevant subjects obtained at the final examination of the NBTE-recognized preliminary ND programme offered in a polytechnic or similar Post-Secondary Technical Institution.
- All candidates applying for science and technology programmes must possess credit level passes in mathematics and English language (Not Literature in English) Applicants for Business and Management Programmes
- A pass in the final examination of the pre-science and technology of the polytechnic.
- Candidates should have credit passes in English Language and Mathematics.
Other Requirements for HND
- You must possess the National Diploma of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba or the equivalent recognized institutions in the appropriate disciplines with a minimum CGPA of 2.50
- You must have completed a minimum of twelve (12) calendar months post National Diploma industrial Work Experience relevant to your field of study by the expected date of admission.
- Candidates with a CGPA below 2.50 must have completed a minimum of two years post-ND cognate work experience
Abia Poly’s Library
When I came to the library, one of the things that fascinated me was the inside, it might not look big from the outside but when you enter it is a lot bigger and very quiet. The best part is one of the librarians told me that you can enter the library as long as you have a student ID Card regardless of the school.
For instance, a student of FUTO, UNILAG, UNN, ABSU, FUTA, etc, can enter Abia Poly’s Library as long as they have their school’s library card. Had I known this, when I was still a FUTO student and used to come to Aba to visit my parents, I’d just come to their library and cool off.
I can’t say what kind of books they have. I wasn’t allowed to enter the library because I wasn’t with library card.
Abia Poly Scholarships and Loans
When I met one of the admission staff she told me that Abia Poly used to provide scholarships and even immediate work employment to outstanding graduating students. But due to the economy things have changed, there are no longer any scholarships provided by the school’s body.
I went further to the Loan office and met one of their staff who told me that the loan was not meant for students but for staff members only. However, they are not disbursing any loans at the moment still due to the economy (this Nigeria’s economy is really hitting some schools hard).
Well, I reluctantly asked her about scholarships, and she told me that scholarships are given not by the school’s body, but by some individuals who want to help needy students. Especially those who have lost their parents and can’t afford to pay.
Abia State Polytechnic Accommodation
I went further to inquire about their accommodation, and I realized that there are no hostels built by the school to accommodate students. There are nearby apartments, and self-con that can accommodate students.
Samuel, an Accountancy student in HND 1 told me the average self-contained apartment costs ₦120,000.
Abia Poly Facilities
- ATM stand 🏧
- Canteen 🍛
- Library 📚
- Classrooms 👩🏫
- Laboratory 🔬
- Sports ⚽
- Medical 🏥
- Auditorium 🏢
- Wi-Fi 📶
Abia Poly Wi-Fi
Even though the school has WiFi located in different buildings, I realized that it’s not stable. One of the HND 2 students I met told me that he would prefer they remove the Wi-Fi fee they pay along with other fees because of the instability.
Extracurricular Activities
(It’s worth noting that the picture here doesn’t completely do justice to the beauty of the basketball court or football pitch, I couldn’t get a better view due to a rope that separated from where I was standing to the court)
Well, I asked some of the students about the extracurricular activities and they told me it’s quite fun. They really have the chance to play football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, participate in fashion parades, and even javelin.
I was even more curious about the javelin assuming that the field might not be big enough for the javelin throw, but one of the mass communication students told me that it’s big enough.
There are also Christian fellowships for those interested in growing their faith in the Lord within the campus.
Abia State Poly Classroom Experience
Their classrooms might not look so exquisite, but according to the students, they said it accommodates them enough. Some students said that ND 1 is when they have the highest number of students which is an average of 150:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
That means one teacher handles an average of 150 students.
That could sound shocking for first-world countries especially the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, etc, that have a very low student-to-teacher ratio.
Well as you progress to HND 1 there are about 50 to 100 students per lecturer.
Abia Poly Practical Experience
Though all of the students I met said they have a wonderful practical experience – some students’ practical ends in ND1 depending on their course – they always mention insufficient practical pieces of equipment. For instance, the same final year Mechanical Engineering student (anonymous) said even though he’s in Mechanical Engineering, you expect that there should be enough equipment to help improve his hands-on experience, but no, it’s not sufficient.
An Architecture student told me that even though the lecturers are trying their best to give out the best practical, in fact, sometimes they go off campus to some sites to have some practical experience, but there is still no sufficient equipment for architectural students. He also said that the school recently bought some new pieces of equipment, to improve their hands-on experience.
Abia State Polytechnic Lecturers Experience
I went further to ask some of the students about their experience in lectures, with their responses and excitement on their faces showing that most of the lecturers were doing great. One of the accountancy students openly reviewed to me that not all lecturers are the same, most are good but there are still ones that rarely come to class and give out handouts so students can read without any proper lecturing.
Merriment an ND1 student of computer science told me that their classes often start by 7 am and lecturers come exactly that time (that’s amazing). He also told me that there is one of their lecturers (name withheld) who gives out extra marks to students who come early, which will help boost their scores at the end of the semester. Now guess how many students come early, almost all of them.
He went further to say that the school takes attendance very seriously, and failure to meet a certain percentage of attendance can lead to failure.
Abia Poly Textbooks Experience
Each student I met told me that textbooks are very compulsory, and that failure to buy any textbook leads to failure of that course. Well, I’m not surprised by this because almost all government and federal higher institutions in Nigeria do this.
Abia Poly Security
When I was preparing to write my first JAMB, I heard a lot of rumours about Abia Poly’s cultism. In fact, I was even scared of going to school today for this project due to this old fear.
Well, what I experienced was totally different, all the students I met testified that cultism has totally reduced, and some even said they don’t know if it exists at all again. The HND 2 Mechanical student went on to tell me security has risen to 88%, and that even snatching of phones has reduced to the minimum.
Their testimony gave me so much relief that I almost wished to study there.
Abia State Poly College Details
- Address: Immaculate Street, Aba 450102, Aba.
- Phone Contact: +2348064933595, +2347088391544, +234816495876.
- Email contact: Registrar@AbiaStatePolytechnic.edu.ng
- Website links: https://abiastatepolytechnic.edu.ng/
Abia Poly FAQ
Que 1: Is Studying in Abia Poly Expensive
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean.
Que 2: What are the Courses Available at Abia Poly
Abia Polytechnic provides 28 courses in five faculties/schools which are: the School of Business and Management Technology; School of Engineering & Technology; School of Environmental Design and Technology; School of Science & Industrial Technology; School of General Studies & Communication Technology.
Que 3: Are there any scholarships for students?
Abia Poly doesn’t provide any scholarships for students. However, some individuals award scholarships to students based on desperate financial need.
Que 4: Are there any hostel facilities in Abia Poly?
No, the school has not built any hostel for students yet. But there are self-con apartments within the school’s vicinity which is an average of ₦120,000.
Que 5: What is the Cut-off Mark of Abia Poly
Abia Poly’s Cut-off Mark for aspiring ND students is 120, whereas for aspiring HND students is a minimum of 2.50 CGPA.
Abia Polytechnic Student Review
I love Abia Poly for the closeness to my home and some of my friends are here too
One of the reasons I joined Abia Poly is because of the distance, it’s very close to my family’s house so I don’t need to bother about accommodation or feeding. Secondly, because of my friends, some of my friends are here too, I don’t want to go to a lonely state that I won’t have anywhere to easily run to in case of an emergency.
The teaching is quite lovely, classes for ND 1 start from 7 am to 10 am and from 11 am to 1 pm, and even lecturers come as early as 7 am. In fact, there is a lecturer (name withheld) who awards students extra marks for coming early, which can boost your final result score and decrease your chances of failing.
The environment is also ok, there is very high security.
Assignments are also taken seriously, in fact, most lecturers give assignments immediately after the lecture.
Practicals are done on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, during these days the normal school schedule is adjusted so as not to stress the students.
As a fresher it’s not easy to locate some adequate buildings
During my ND 1 as a new fresher, it was hard to complete registration because of the confusion of locating the right building. There are even some buildings whose signboard is not written boldly to help students locate them. But by asking questions, you can get used to the buildings.
Even though school kicked off nice and smooth, another issue I had was locating my following coursemates and our lecture hall, and it took me five days to succeed in this.
Then in my ND 1 in 2019, you’ll come to class by 6 am and everywhere is filled up, the lecture starts by 6:30 am or 7 am and ends by 12 pm (noon) allowing students to go home and rest. Now it’s more stressful, especially after COVID-19.
The advantage of being in HND is you can negotiate with your lecturer on when to start the lecture, most of our lectures now start by 10 am, and sometimes we start by 9 am depending on the course (these courses usually have practicals) and end by 1 or 2 pm. Each course usually lasts for 2 hours.
During my ND 1 we had an average of 200 students per class, the class then didn’t contain us, so we had to use the studio which is sufficient enough.
I wish there is enough funds to enable students to resume earlier
The only practical we had was on our ND 1 on soap making and some other skills. I noticed that due to the unavailability of funds, some of my fellow coursemates in ND 2 haven’t resumed.
I feel one of the disadvantages of waiting an extra year to resume your HND 1 is you will now join new students (no longer your former classmates). Also, the vibe for schooling will reduce a little bit, and it gets worse when you wait for 2 or more years before returning.
Most lecturers are nice but some need to improve
Not all lecturers are the same, most of them are good and brilliant but there are still some that can improve in their method.
Lecturers desire for our success
I’m excited they have taken care of the accreditation for the School of Engineering & Technology. Lectures are decent, however, there is a lack of sufficient practical tools.
To tell you how much lecturers want us to succeed, some of them take us to outside sites to have a hands-on experience on some civil engineering teaching. This visit doesn’t require any payment except minor payment for transportation from students.
There is also a high level of security.
In my ND 1, there is an average number of 100 students per lecturer, it reduced to an average of 50 per lecturer in my HND 1.
Lecturers try their best to provide quality education, however there is shortage of practical tools
Their lectures are decent, lecturers try their best to deliver the best education, however, there is a shortage of practical pieces of equipment for mechanical engineering students. The school has also improved in making students get their results quicker than before thanks to our new rector.
During ND 1 and HND 1 fees need to be paid in full, but during ND 2 and HND 2, students are allowed to pay them in two installments. There is still a late payment fee for students who didn’t pay on time and these fees can be doubled or tripled if you fail to pay as time goes on.
Also, regarding fees, once you pay your school fees endeavour to go for signing immediately because if signed late the school will assume you paid late and will charge you for late payment. Some students don’t know this and usually fall prey to it. The school has a bank that helps with easier payment.
The Wi-Fi is one of the things we pay for that bothers me because of how unstable the school’s internet is. Also, thanks to the acting Rector, Abia Poly is faster than some other higher institutions, sometimes when we resume for a new semester some institutions are still writing their previous semester exam.
The food here is also affordable, and I’m speaking as someone who has gone to some other schools. Snacks at Abia Poly are a lot more affordable than those of other institutions. At their canteen, with ₦1,200 you can get an affordable Garri and any kind of Soup that can fully satisfy you, and they are delicious too.
I’m so happy that our School of Engineering & Technology is now accredited which will make any graduated student easily go for NYSC and legally get employed. I’m also happy that our engineering department goes to competitions and sometimes comes out as winner or runner-up.
Unlike before, Abia Poly now has a very high security which I wouldn’t mistake giving them an 88% level of security. You’ll rarely hear of snatching phones or breaking into classes.
Once you pay for medical fees you will be granted access to the school’s hospital for free anytime except in cases where the issue requires higher medical attention. They will refer you to the nearest advanced hospital for treatment, but in this case, you have to foot the bill.
