The National Board for Technical Education has announced that all Higher National Diploma admissions in polytechnics, allied institutions, colleges of nursing sciences and health technology will henceforth be handled by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
The decision was contained in a circular dated September 9, 2026, sighted by The Telegraph on Saturday.
The circular, signed by the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, was addressed to rectors and provosts of the affected institutions.
According to the circular, the decision followed a meeting between the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and key stakeholders, including JAMB, the National Youth Service Corps, the NBTE and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Bugaje said the move was aimed at establishing a centralised admission process and curbing “illegal and compromised admissions”.
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.
“NBTE shall immediately develop HND Admission Guidelines and submit to JAMB to guide the digital platform for the admission, including the waiting period for ND holders before proceeding to HND and exemption for certain ND Health-related programs.”
Reacting to the development, JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Fabian Benjamin, told The Telegraph on Sunday that the board would comply with 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 said.
On part-time admissions, the circular stated that, with all part-time National Diploma admissions now under JAMB, the proportion of part-time students would be capped at 50 per cent of each institution’s approved full-time quota.
The NBTE also reaffirmed an earlier circular issued on September 7, which prohibits the presentation of candidates holding a combination of NCE and HND certificates for NYSC mobilisation.
Under the new directive, NCE holders seeking admission into HND programmes must do so through “direct admission” via JAMB and must first obtain a valid ND before proceeding to HND studies.
Only ND and HND certificates will be recognised as valid qualifications for NYSC mobilisation in such cases.
The board also said the Minister of Education would review the list of ND agriculture-related programmes whose candidates are exempted from the written Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, with a view to considering additional programmes.
The NBTE has been directed to make a submission on the matter, while the Committee of Heads of Nigerian Polytechnics and Similar Institutions is expected to provide input.
The circular warned rectors and provosts to ensure strict compliance with the directives, noting that any breach would attract “appropriate regulatory sanctions, including withdrawal of operational licence.”
Bugaje added that the minister had approved the resolution of all outstanding cases involving legally admitted ND part-time and HND full-time candidates to ensure they are mobilised for NYSC as soon as possible, in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to the NBTE, the integration of HND admissions into JAMB’s system would also ensure that admissions are granted only for accredited programmes and within approved carrying capacities.
“With digitisation, there shall be no hiding place for illegal admissions,” the board said.
