Direct Entry: 13 Qualifications Accepted by JAMB for Admission into Nigerian Universities

Direct Entry Admission is a term use to describe the situation whereby students use qualifications higher than that of the senior secondary school certificates to process admission into a university in Nigeria. 

An admission into all the universities in Nigeria is coordinated by Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The body organise and coordinate university entry examinations known as Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) once every years. 

The direct entry applicants don't write UTME but the JAMB process their admission. Jamb simply considered the qualifications submitted by the direct entry applicants, the grades with which the qualifications come and the available space for direct entry applicants for a particular course before a provisional admission could be granted.  

There are thirteen (13) qualifications accepted by JAMB to process an admission for a direct entry applicant in Nigeria as listed below. 

  1. First degree 
  2. A university Diploma (HND)
  3. Higher National Diploma (HND)
  4. Ordinary National Diploma/National Diploma 
  5. Nigeria Certificate in Education. (NCE) 
  6. Interim Joint Matriculation Board(IJMB) A’ Level 
  7. Joint Universities Examination Board (JUPEB) A’ Level 
  8. General Certificate of Education (GCE) A'Level
  9. NABTEB: Advanced National Business Certificate (ANBC) 
  10. NABTEB: Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC) 
  11. Higher Islamic Studies Certificate by NBAIS 
  12. International Baccalaureate and 
  13. National Registered Nurse/National Registered Midwife(NRN/NRM), 
While some qualifications from above could be used to process admission to study any undergraduate degree programme at any of the Nigerian universities, some qualifications are applicable to certain field of disciplines.  For example:

NCE could only be used to process admission to study education courses. 
NRN/NRM): could only process admission to study nursing or midwifery courses .
The qualifications in Higher Islamic Studies Certificate by NBAIS  could be used to process a university admission to study Islamic Religion Studies or the like while 
NABTEB: Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC) could only be us3 to purse admission in the field of technology and engineering courses. 

International Baccalaureate: is accepted from international students.  

Note: while the information above is correct this time, JAMB may decide not to accept any of the qualifications in the future or they may decide to start accepting come others. 


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