Polytechnic in education in Indonesia is one form of higher education in addition to academies, institutes, high schools, and universities. Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe (PNL) or Lhokseumawe State Polytechnic is a part of the national education system that aims to prepare students to become members of the community with professional abilities who can apply, develop, and disseminate science and technology and seek to use it to improve people's standard of living and the welfare of humankind while also enriching national culture.

Politeknik Negerii Lhokseumawe is one of the 43 State Polytechnics in Indonesia. The role of Universitas Syiah Kuala as the parent and forerunner of the Politeknik Negerii Lhokseumawe's birth cannot be separated from the history of the Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe's establishment. In Aceh Province, Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe is the only State Polytechnic. The Politeknik Negerii Lhokseumawe was established in 1985 with World Bank XIII assistance and began providing education on October 5, 1987, under the name Politeknik Universitas Syiah Kuala (Polytechnic of Universitas Syiah Kuala). The Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe changed its name from Politeknik Universitas Syiah Kuala to Politeknik Negerii Lhokseumawe on May 9, 1997, following the Minister of Education and Culture's Decree No. 100/O/1997.

The Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe had three departments when it first opened in 1987: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. The Electrical Engineering Department was founded in 1988 and offered two study programs: Electrical Engineering and Telecommunication Engineering. In 1992, the Electrical Engineering department launched the Electronic Engineering study program. The Accounting, Finance and Banking, and Business Administration Study Programs were established in 1998 by the Department of Commerce.

In 2015, the Informatics Engineering and Multimedia and Network Engineering study program, which was previously under the Department of Electrical Engineering, evolved into an Information and Computer Technology Department in response to the demands and changes in the paradigm of higher education, as well as the needs of the job market (ICT).

Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe offers six departments (civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, commerce, information technology and computers) with 13 Diploma III and 11 Diploma IV study programs in 2021.