The Federal Government has handed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) responsibility for all Higher National Diploma (HND) admissions in polytechnics and allied institutions, and has introduced a centralised system designed to curb irregular admissions and prevent problems with graduates’ mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The directive, issued by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in a circular dated September 9, 2026, covers polytechnics, allied institutions, colleges of nursing sciences and colleges of health technology.
The circular, signed by the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof Idris Bugaje, was addressed to rectors and provosts of the affected institutions.
Under the new arrangement, institutions will no longer independently process HND admissions. JAMB will take over the exercise from the current academic session and operate the central admission platform.
The decision followed a meeting involving the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, JAMB, NBTE, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Why the government is changing the system
The reform is tied to a problem that has affected thousands of students in the past: admission irregularities that later create difficulties when graduates seek NYSC mobilisation.
Bugaje said the centralised process was intended to prevent “illegal and compromised admissions” that could jeopardise students’ eligibility for NYSC after completing their HND programmes.
The circular stated that all HND admissions would henceforth be processed through JAMB, while NBTE would prepare guidelines for the new arrangement.
The guidelines are expected to cover the digital admission platform, including the waiting period required for National Diploma (ND) holders before progressing to HND and possible exemptions for certain health-related ND programmes.
JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that the board would implement the directive.
“It’s a directive from above and ours is to comply to ensure that the good intentions of the government are achieved,” Benjamin told journalists.
The change therefore goes beyond administrative convenience. It places HND entry within the same centralised admission architecture used for other tertiary education pathways with a view to giving regulators a clearer mechanism for checking candidates, programmes and institutional quotas.
Part-time admissions also come under scrutiny
The government has also tightened the rules for part-time National Diploma (ND) admissions.
The NBTE circular stated that with all part-time ND admissions now under JAMB, the number of part-time students in an institution cannot exceed 50 per cent of its approved full-time quota.
The provision is significant because admission capacity will now be tied more closely to what institutions have been officially approved to accommodate.
Rather than allowing institutions to expand enrolment independently, the new arrangement gives JAMB and NBTE a central role in monitoring admission volumes.
The NBTE also reaffirmed its September 7 directive on candidates holding combinations of National Certificate in Education and HND qualifications.
NCE holders face a new pathway
Under the directive, NCE holders seeking HND admission must obtain a valid ND before progressing to the higher qualification.
Such candidates can only enter HND programmes through “direct admission” via JAMB.
For NYSC purposes, the board said only the ND and HND certificates would be recognised in these cases.
The policy effectively closes a pathway through which some candidates had previously combined qualifications in ways that created complications during NYSC mobilisation.
The board also said the Minister of Education would review programmes in agriculture-related fields whose candidates are currently exempted from the written Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
NBTE is expected to submit a proposal on the matter, while the Committee of Heads of Nigerian Polytechnics and Similar Institutions will provide input.
Institutions face sanctions for violations
The directive places responsibility squarely on rectors and provosts to ensure compliance.
The NBTE warned that institutions that breach the new admission rules could face regulatory sanctions, including withdrawal of their operational licences.
The board said the centralised system would also ensure that admissions are issued only for accredited programmes and within approved carrying capacities.
“With digitisation, there shall be no hiding place for illegal admissions,” the NBTE said.
The statement captures the central objective of the reform: to make admission records traceable from the point a student enters an institution to the stage where the graduate seeks national service mobilisation.
The board also disclosed that the Education Minister had approved the resolution of outstanding cases involving legally admitted ND part-time and HND full-time candidates.
The move is intended to clear existing mobilisation difficulties and enable eligible graduates to participate in the NYSC scheme.
For prospective HND students, the change means admission will now involve another layer of central verification. But for polytechnics and allied institutions, it marks a significant shift in how they recruit students.
The government is effectively linking admission control, programme accreditation, institutional capacity and NYSC eligibility under a more coordinated system.
The success of the policy will ultimately depend on how smoothly JAMB, NBTE and the institutions implement the new digital process, particularly as the Federal Ministry of Education prepares to issue further details next week.
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