Rectors and provosts of polytechnics, allied institutions and colleges of nursing sciences and health technology have been directed to hand over all Higher National Diploma (HND) admissions to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), according to a circular from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Signed by the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof Idris Bugaje, and dated September 9, 2026, the circular stated, “All HND admissions in all institutions shall, from this session, be taken over by JAMB to provide a centralised process and avoid illegal and compromised admissions, jeopardising students’ mobilisation for NYSC after HND. The FME shall issue a statement on this next week with further details.”
Bugaje noted that the decision was reached after the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, met with stakeholders including JAMB, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), NBTE and the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), and was aimed at curbing “illegal and compromised admissions.”
JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed that the board had accepted the directive. “It’s a directive from above and ours is to comply to ensure that the good intentions of the government are achieved,” he noted.
According to the circular, NBTE is to draw up HND Admission Guidelines and forward them to JAMB to shape the new digital admission platform, covering matters such as the waiting period for National Diploma (ND) holders before HND entry and exemptions for select ND health related programmes.
Part time admissions were also addressed, with the circular capping part time student intake at 50% of each institution’s approved full time quota, now that ND part time admissions fall under JAMB.
The circular further affirmed an earlier NBTE directive of September 7 barring holders of combined National Certificate in Education (NCE) and HND qualifications from NYSC mobilisation. Going forward, NCE holders may only enter HND programmes through direct admission via JAMB, and must hold a valid ND beforehand, with only ND and HND certificates recognised for NYSC purposes in such cases.
NBTE stated that the Minister of Education would also review ND agriculture related programmes currently exempted from the written Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), to determine whether other programmes should be added to the exemption list.
Institutions found in breach of the directive risk “appropriate regulatory sanctions, including withdrawal of operational licence,” the circular warned, while Bugaje confirmed the minister had also approved the resolution of outstanding cases involving legally admitted ND part time and HND full time candidates to fast track their NYSC mobilisation.
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