The Federal Government has approved the takeover of Higher National Diploma (HND) admissions by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), beginning from the 2026/2027 admission session.
The development was disclosed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in a circular dated 9 September 2026, following a meeting involving the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB, NBTE and other relevant stakeholders.
Under the new arrangement, HND admissions across institutions will be processed through JAMB under a centralised system. The move is aimed at addressing illegal and compromised admissions and preventing situations where graduates later face difficulties with NYSC mobilisation because of irregular admissions.
NBTE is expected to develop comprehensive guidelines for HND admissions and submit them to JAMB to guide implementation of the new digital admission platform.
The Federal Ministry of Education is also expected to issue a detailed statement on the new arrangement next week, according to the NBTE circular.
Meanwhile, the government has also approved a new ceiling for part-time ND admissions, limiting such admissions to 50% of an institution’s approved full-time admission quota.
Candidates and prospective HND applicants are advised to await the detailed guidelines and further clarification from the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB and NBTE before taking action.