EDUCATION

How to Gain Direct Entry Admission to Nigerian Universities

Admission in Nigeria is very tedious and university admission is one of the most difficult to get due to their requirements and eligibility. Direct entry programme for university is entirely different from that of polytechnic and colleges of Education.

Most times when students hear the word “Direct Entry” they think it means automatic admission to the university, no that’s not how it works, Direct Entry means gaining admission to either 200level or 300level to universities depending on your qualification. Polytechnic direct entry Admission can either be a part time, weekend or distance learning programme but that university requires some requirements in Advanced Level unlike polytechnic that admit based on O’level only.

Who are those who are Eligible for Direct Entry?

In this article, we will focus only on how to gain admission to university as a polytechnic graduate.

Direct Entry Admission is majorly for students who want to further their education in the University after their National Diploma (ND), Higher National Diploma (HND), Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) etc. Programmes to obtain a degree certificate; B.Sc., M.Sc., PhD.

If you already obtained any of the previously mentioned certificates that means you qualify for direct entry admission to the Universities in Nigeria. Although university admission is tedious, that is, there is no guarantee that you will be offered admission, it is based on luck and your result.

Why Students Apply for Direct entry?

When it comes to qualifications, Nigerian employers place more value on degree certificates above others and also according to our research, we learnt that obtaining a university degree is one of the perquisites to further your Education abroad(not in all cases). For instance, if you have obtained your Higher National Diploma certificate in Nigeria, you might find it difficult to further your Education in the University at master’s level as the institutions usually require a bachelor’s degree or PGD as requirements for Admission so for the students not to miss all these opportunities, they have no other option than to enroll for a direct entry admission to continue their Education in the University.

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Students who already obtained a National Diploma certificate will be admitted to 200level while those who already obtained a Higher National Diploma(HND) certificate will be admitted to 300level to Nigerian universities.

HOW TO GAIN DIRECT ENTRY ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY

1. OBTAIN THE MINIMUM GRADE.

Direct Entry Admission slots are always few and for you to be among the few who will be admitted you must obtain the minimum grade, which is lower credit, but most universities would specify that they want only candidates with upper credit and distinction. So, if currently you are still a student in the polytechnic, then you have to strive hard to graduate with upper credit if you wish to further your Education in the University. Gone are those days when varsities accepted pass grade for direct entry, the minimum requirement now is lower credit. You should know this fact before applying for direct entry.

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2. REGULARIZE YOUR ADMISSION.

Some polytechnic students were admitted through the part time programme thus they have no JAMB registration number which means that their admission is invalid according to JAMB and in situation like this there is not how you can apply for Direct entry admission without your Jamb registration number and the admission letter for your National Diploma programme. To fix this issue, make sure that you have regularized your admission and must have gotten your pin as that is necessary for direct entry admission. If you have seen your semester result and obtained a minimum grade from there, begin the process to regularize your admission. You don’t need Jamb regularization if you were admitted through the Full-time programme or if you already have your JAMB registration number and admission letter.

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3. CHOOSES A UNIVERSITY.

By now, you are sure that you qualify for direct entry admission so you need to choose which university you would like to further your Education. First, you need to be sure if they offer your course and if the course is available for direct entry. Some universities don’t accept direct entry students for some courses. For example, if biochemistry is what you want to study in ABU Zaria, you need to check the school portal for the programmes available for direct entry so as to be sure that you made the right choice.

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4. APPLY FOR DIRECT ENTRY FORM.

After making your choice, the next thing to do is to apply for a Direct Entry form. This is done in two stages; you Obtain JAMB D.E and the University’s D.E form. Please take note that you can’t gain Direct entry admission without JAMB so you have to be at alert as soon as JAMB announces sale of their UTME and Direct Entry (D.E) form, obtain it as soon as possible and complete the registration. You will be required to submit some credentials; O’level results, NCE/ND/HND result. You may have to scan and upload them On the JAMB portal. Jamb does not accept awaiting results for D.E so before you apply make sure that you have all the necessary certificates available. After Obtaining the D.E form for Jamb, you will also apply for the institution’s form. For example, if OAU, AAU is where you want to further your Education, you would have to obtain their D.E form. This means After picking JAMB D.E form you will also obtain the school D.E form.

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5. APPLY FOR PLAN B.

Not all universities give admission to D.E candidates perhaps direct entry is 50/50 that is, either you gain, or you lose so there is no guarantee that you will be offered admission even with upper credit and distinction except if you are lucky or have little connection to back it up and for you not to be left out you need to ensure that plan B is available. What does PLAN B mean in direct entry admission? It simply means that you should apply for a Higher National Diploma (HND) form, and if you already obtained your HND, you could apply for your post graduate Diploma (PGD) which can be studied in polytechnic.

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Although not all polytechnics offer PGD but with your ND and HND result you can easily further your education in the polytechnic without stress and there is a higher percentage that you will be offered admission unlike university D.E where the odds are 50/50. So, if possible, you were not lucky to be admitted to the university D.E you Won’t waste another year again to apply.

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Who can Apply for Direct Entry Admission?

As we stated earlier, not everyone is eligible to apply for direct entry. This programme is strictly for those with Advanced certificates in addition to their secondary School O’level certificate, that is candidates who already obtained Advanced level results such as ND, HND, NCE, IJMB etc. You can’t gain direct entry admission to Nigerian university with just your O’level results only.

Which Universities Accept Direct Entry Students?

Almost all the universities in Nigeria accept direct entry candidates provided you qualify for the admission; However, some Institutions do not accept D.E due to some reasons best known to them.

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Will I Write Examination Before Being Offered Admission?

No, Direct Entry candidates do not write any entrance examination for admission consideration. The basic requirement is your credentials. Once you obtain the form and submit the necessary documents then you should be hopeful of admission. However, some schools may choose to conduct POST-DE examination.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR DIRECT ENTRY ADMISSION.

A minimum of O’Level credit pass in five (5) subjects at not more than two sittings
Minimum of lower credit grade in National Diploma or National Innovation Diploma and the O’Level requirements
Name, Date of birth, Email address and Active phone number
Academic Transcripts: Some universities will require you to submit your Academic Transcripts for ND/HND. so, get it ready before or after obtaining the and form.

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CAN I GAIN ADMISSION TO DIRECT ENTRY WITH PASS GRADE?

It depends, but generally Universities majorly accept candidates with Upper credit, distinction and sometimes lower credit but if you have a connection, you might be considered for admission with your pass grade. I won’t advise you to pick D.E form if your grade is below lower credit.