Do you want to gain admission into a university, polytechnic or college of your choice in Nigeria? Then you need to read this article.
It is a well-known fact that for anyone to gain admission into any of the Nigerian institutions (University, Polytechnic or College), he must meet the basic criteria that are required for minimum qualification. Because you must first be qualified before you can have the opportunity of being admitted to study the course of your choice. So you might want to ask the question “how do I get qualified?”.
The first thing you need to do is to have a good o’level result either at one sitting or two-sitting (combination).
O’Level Result
Your o’level result can be the WAEC and NECO you wrote in your SS3 or the GCE you wrote in your SS2 or after you graduated for some. But your O’level result shows your evidence of completing the senior Secondary School and that is why it is being referred to as SSCE (Senior School Certificate Examination).
WASSCE/WAEC
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. It is administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). It is only offered to candidates residing in Anglophone West African countries.
We popularly refer to the MAY/JUNE West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates as WAEC but WAEC is an examination board Nigeria that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in May/June and the General Certificate in Education in November/December.
You must have a minimum of 5 to 6 credits including Mathematics and English Language either at 1 or 2 sittings for you to qualify and be considered for admission because the competition is stiff. But you should consult the Jamb Brochure when making decisions.
NECO
The National Examinations Council is an examination body in Nigeria that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate in Education in June/July and December/January respectively.
Same requirement applies with that of WAEC.
You must have a minimum of 5 to 6 credits including Mathematics and English Language either at 1 or 2 sittings for you to qualify and be considered for admission because the competition is stiff. But you should consult the Jamb Brochure when making decisions.
NABTEB
NABTEB stands for National Business and Technical Examinations Board. The Federal Government has endorsed Certificates awarded by NABTEB for admission to Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
NABTEB Examinations
With its certificate being listed by JAMB as a prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutions including the Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education, enrollment has increased tremendously over the years.
NABTEB conducts the National Technical Certificate (NTC)/National Business Certificate (NBC) examinations as well as the advanced level versions of the following trades/discipline:
- General Education
- Business Trades
- Engineering/Construction Trades
- Miscellaneous Trades
The Modular Trades Certificate Examinations (MTCE) began in 2004. The MTCE is for persons who wish to acquire effective capacity in components of a trade like Motor Vehicle Mechanics Work Trade (steering and braking system mechanic work module) Catering Craft Trade (food preparation module); Secretarial Studies Trade (typewriting 35WPM for Typist II module); Book Keeping Trade (purchasing and supply module).
NABTEB O’ Level
The Ordinary Level NABTEB (O’Level) is the type students use to combine with JAMB to gain admission into 100 level in universities. The O’Level NABTEB has the same authority as WAEC, NECO and GCE variants.
The NABTEB O’Level is mostly popular among secondary school leavers who need to sit for another O level examination in order to have their O’ Level courses complete. The registration of this examination can run between #13,000 to #35,000 depending on location and study centres.
BY JAMB/UTME
JAMB or Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is the most popular mode of entry into any institution in Nigeria. It has evolved over the years from paper examination and now a computer based standardized examination for prospective undergraduates in Nigeria. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, knowledge of scientific concepts and principles significance of each subject taken.
Required Jamb Score
Every student must endeavor to score the required minimum score for any institution ranging from 120 for Colleges to 160 for polytechnics & Monotechnics and 180 for universities. See Jamb Cut-Off Marks.
Post-Jamb Score
You must also ensure that you meet the minimum cut-off mark for the post jamb which is used for considerations aside the once required per department.
So to gain admission by JAMB or UTME, you must ensure you meet the minimum Cut-off marks required for all levels.
BY Pre-degree
The Pre-degree program is a one-year programme aimed at preparing students for admission into the courses of their choice.
Admission into a chosen course of study in any University through the Pre-degree is exclusively dependent on the candidate’s good performance at the Pre-degree program, the possession of an acceptable current JAMB score and possession of the basic 5 O’ Level credits relevant to the chosen of course.
Pre-degree program was established due to the fact that Well over one million applicants seeking admission every year into all universities which now have a combined capacity of about 250,000. The competition was quite stiff and good preparation will result in better performance by the students.
Programme Structure
The Pre-Degree Programme is an intensive coaching curriculum to prepare high school graduates for university work. The courses of study which are those of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) subjects include English Language which is compulsory for all students, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Economics, Geography, Government, English Literature and Religious Studies. Students are required to choose three subjects in addition to English. The curriculum is structured into two contact periods each of 18 weeks with four contact hours per week for each subject. There is a three-week break between the first and second contact periods and one week of examination at the end each contact period.
Programme Duration
The programme normally runs for two (2) contact periods both within nine (9) calendar months. It is structured into two (2) contact periods each of 16 weeks with a minimum of four and maximum of five contact hours per week for each subject. There is a three-week break between the first and second contact periods and one two weeks of examination during each contact.
The end of the programme usually precedes the beginning of the University academic session. Closures of the University do not affect the programme.
BY DIRECT ENTRY
Direct entry option is a style of admission entry into any Nigerian university straight to 200 level after completing a diploma program which runs for 1-2 years in a university or from a polytechnic recognized by the institution and you can find it in Jamb’s Brochure.
Typically, when you obtain the unified tertiary matriculation examination form and sit for the examination, you can only gain admission into 100 level in any Nigerian university, but if you decide to get the direct entry form and you eventually meet the basic admission requirement, you will gain admission into that university of your choice and you will begin from 200 level (Part 2) depending on the school’s calendar. This strictly depends on the entry credentials you used to gain admission.
As a direct entry candidate, you have the opportunity to study any of the courses in any department/faculty of your choice within the institution, either a university or polytechnic.
JAMB Direct Entry is mainly for those that already possess a diploma certificate and wishes to go further for a degree programme in the Nigeria university.
But some institutions in Nigeria also sell the Direct entry form. So that means after you have purchased the JAMB DE Form then you also need to purchase the form in that institution. So make sure you ask questions about your institution.
Normally, those who gained admission into the university via direct entry starts from part 2 or 200 level in their various university of choice provided they were offered admission.
Who can Apply Direct Entry??
- Cambridge A Level
- Bachelors
- HND
- ICAN
- ND
- NCE
- OND
- IJMB
With this information, if you wish to know How to Apply for Direct Entry (DE) into Nigeria Universities, you can do that using the link
JUPEB
The meaning of JUPEB is Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board.
JUPEB is a national examinations body approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria in December 2013. It was formally established in April 2014 by a consortium of ten (10) partnering universities led by the University of Lagos.
JUPEB was setup to serve as an alternative mode of gaining admission into tertiary institution in Nigeria into 200Level via Direct Entry (D.E) and majority of Nigerian Universities recognize the JUPEB result as a criteria for gaining university admission
NABTEB A’ Level Examinations (ANBC & ANTC)
NABTEB A’level exams is an advanced level of its O’Level and can only be taken by candidates who had earlier sat for and made their O’Level (NABTEB) examinations.
NABTEB A’level caters for those who wish to gain admission into Nigerian universities but have not been able to do so through JAMB. NABTEB A’level is thus an alternative to JAMB.
When you attend lectures in any of the approved NABTEB A’level Centres and pass, you can combine the result with the Direct Entry form and use it to gain admission into 200 level. Currently, not all universities accept NABTEB A’level. But, they all accept NABTEB O’level for 100 level admission.
To see the list of universities that accept NABTEB A’level for 200 level direct entry admission, click here
ANBC & ANTC certificates are equivalent to an OND and NCE. With NABTEB A’level Certificate, an applicant is placed on level 5 (especially in the civil service) in the Labour Market.
The NABTEB A’level registration runs from December until February every session. To apply for the exams, visit registration.nabtebnigeria.org. And, to check your NABTEB results, visit NABTEB e-world at eworld,nabtebnngeria.org.
