University in Nigeria
Port Harcourt, Rivers State
University profile
Rivers State University (RSU) is a state-owned university at Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, Nigeria. It was established in October 1980 from the Rivers State College of Science and Technology, which dates from 1972, and it is described as the first technological university in Nigeria and the first state-owned university in the Niger Delta region. Its motto is Excellence and Creativity. The language of instruction is English.
The university was established to produce scientific and technical manpower, train science and technical teachers, support industrial and developmental programmes through consultancy and special project centres, and promote scholarship and research in all fields. It reports a staff strength of about 1,800 and a student population of over 28,000, and runs 37 undergraduate and 86 postgraduate programmes.
Academic work is organised in faculties: Agriculture, Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Engineering, Education, Environmental Sciences, Law, Science, Administration and Management, Communication and Media Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences. The College of Postgraduate Studies, which began postgraduate work in November 1982, handles postgraduate admission, registration and results, and the RSU Business School offers its own programmes.
Specialist units include the Institute of Pollution Studies (established 1982), the Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, the Institute of Education (approved 1989), the Rivers Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, the Centre of Excellence in Marine and Offshore Engineering, the Centre for Continuing Education, the Centre for Climate Change and Forest Resources, the Centre for Advanced Law Research, the Centre for Water and Sanitation Studies and the Information and Communication Technology Centre. The Foundation Studies Unit coordinates general studies courses across the faculties.
Student welfare is run through the Directorate of Student Affairs, which handles hostel allocation, orientation, student union elections and NYSC mobilisation. The University Medical Centre, in a hospital complex in use since 2015, is accredited by the National Health Insurance Scheme as a primary care provider. Four satellite campuses at Ahoada, Emohua, Etche and Sakpenwa extend the main Port Harcourt campus, and the Kira campus in Tai Local Government Area was taken over from a polytechnic in 2022.
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View scholarships for Rivers State University →Only candidates who chose RSU as first choice are screened. The minimum UTME score to apply for screening was 180 in 2022/2023 and 190 in 2023/2024. Candidates need five O-Level credit passes in line with the faculty and departmental requirements in the JAMB brochure and must upload their O-Level results; candidates awaiting results may apply and say so. Screening is an electronic test taken at the ICT Centre after online registration and payment of a N2,000 fee by Interswitch Verve-enabled card; biometric verification is done at the ICT Centre. In 2023 registration ran from 3 July to 11 August and screening began on 21 August.
Applicants need WASC, SSCE, NECO or GCE O-Level with five relevant credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in not more than two sittings, plus departmental requirements. Holders of NCE (Credit), OND/ND (Upper Credit) or HND may apply for direct entry or advanced standing. For 2026/2027 the form costs N10,000, paid online by Interswitch Verve-enabled card; applicants complete the form online, upload WAEC or NECO results, finish processing at the ICT Centre and, if offered admission, complete JAMB registration there. Applications for 2026/2027 close on 31 July 2026. Evening programmes run in Agriculture, Education, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Administration and Management, Science, Social Sciences, Communication and Media Studies and Basic Medical Sciences, and weekend programmes run in Administration and Management, Communication and Media Studies and Public Health.
Postgraduate applications are processed through the Postgraduate School and the eCampus portal at ecampus.rsu.edu.ng.
Facilities. The University Library has Collections Development, Technical Services and Readers Services divisions, faculty satellite libraries, an e-library section, a biodiversity (Bruce Powel) library section and an online catalogue. The ICT Centre serves as an electronic test centre seating 800 candidates at a time, with a 375 kVA standby generator and 58 Wi-Fi hotspots across the campus. The Medical Centre has central air conditioning, theatres and a laboratory, and its pharmacy is accredited by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria for training pharmacy interns. Student hostels include the NDDC and FCMB hostels, and a Students' Dialogue Centre opened in 2020.
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