The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Regular Course is a 5-year cadet pathway that ends with a B.Sc, B.Eng or B.A and a Presidential Commission as an officer in the Army, Navy or Air Force. The current intake is the 78th Regular Course (2026/2027). Applications opened on 28 November 2025 and close on 30 April 2026. The form costs ₦7,000 via Remita on ndaapplications.net. The screening test holds on Saturday 20 June 2026.
You must also register for the JAMB UTME the same year and choose NDA as your first-choice institution. Without a JAMB result, you cannot sit the NDA screening test.
What is the NDA Regular Course?
The Regular Course is the Academy’s main entry route. You join straight from secondary school, train for 5 years as an Officer Cadet under both academic and military instruction, then commission into one of the three services. Air Force and Navy cadets do 4 years of cadet training plus a year of specialist training; Army cadets do the full 5 at NDA. You graduate as a Second Lieutenant (Army), Sub-Lieutenant (Navy) or Pilot Officer (Air Force).
The Academy also runs a Short Service Course for graduates aged up to 28 (or 30 for medical, dental and legal specialists). That route is shorter — about 9 months at NDA’s School of Postgraduate Studies — but it sits outside the Regular Course application below.
Who can apply for the NDA 78 Regular Course?
- Nigerian by birth, male or female.
- Single, with no legal obligation to support a child or spouse.
- Aged between 17 and 21 years on 22 August 2026.
- Minimum height: 1.68 m (men), 1.65 m (women).
- Medically and physically fit, of good moral character.
- Certificate of indigeneship from your state or local government.
- O’level: at least 5 credits in WAEC, NECO, NABTEB or NBAIS — including English Language, Mathematics, and three subjects relevant to your chosen course — in no more than two sittings. Results must be no older than 5 years.
- JAMB UTME score: 180 minimum for Arts, Social Sciences, Sciences, Military Science and Interdisciplinary Studies; 210 minimum for Engineering.
- UTME subjects must include English, Mathematics and two relevant to your course.
Awaiting-result applications are not accepted. French, Arabic or Mandarin are an added advantage but not required.
How do you apply for NDA 78 RC?
Step 1: Create an account
Go to ndaapplications.net and click Create Account. Use a working email and phone number — that’s where your login and payment details land. If you started an application earlier, log in under “Log in” or “Application Status” instead.
Step 2: Pay the ₦7,000 form fee
Log in, then choose Purchase Access Code. You’ll get an Order ID and a Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR). Use the RRR to pay one of two ways:
- Online: card or bank transfer through Remita.
- Bank branch: take the RRR to any commercial bank in Nigeria and pay over the counter.
Only RRRs generated through the application portal are accepted. Save your payment receipt.
Step 3: Fill the form and upload documents
Use the access code to open the form. Fill your biodata, course choice, O’level grades and JAMB number. Then upload scans of:
- SSCE result(s) — WAEC, NECO, NABTEB or NBAIS
- Birth certificate or sworn age declaration
- Certificate of indigeneship
- Passport photograph
- JAMB UTME slip
Submit, then download and print your Acknowledgement Form. Bring the original documents to the screening centre.
Step 4: Register for JAMB UTME
If you haven’t already, register for the JAMB UTME in the same year and select NDA as your first-choice institution. Without that, the AFSB cannot offer you admission even if you pass the NDA screening.
How much does the NDA form cost?
₦7,000. Paid via Remita on the portal. The Academy charges no other application fee. Anyone asking for “registration money” or “shortlisting fees” outside that is a scam.
Once cadets are admitted, the Federal Government covers tuition, accommodation, feeding, uniforms and other training costs at NDA. You don’t pay school fees as a Regular Course cadet.
When is the NDA 78 RC screening test?
Saturday 20 June 2026. The test was first set for 13 June but was moved a week to avoid clashing with the JAMB mop-up exam. The test runs at designated centres across the country. You’ll select your preferred centre on the portal during application.
Bring to the screening:
- Acknowledgement Form
- Screening Test Admission Card
- JAMB UTME result slip
- Two postcard-sized (3.5 x 5 inch) photographs — chest-up shots, with your name, exam number, state, exam centre, course of study and signature on the back
What are the stages of NDA admission?
- Online application on ndaapplications.net (28 Nov 2025 – 30 Apr 2026).
- JAMB UTME with NDA as first choice and a score above the cut-off for your faculty.
- NDA Screening Test on 20 June 2026 at the centre you picked — written aptitude paper.
- Armed Forces Selection Board (AFSB) in Kaduna — interviews, written tests, physical assessments and group tasks over several days. Only candidates who pass the screening test get invited.
- Medical examination at a military hospital.
- Final admission list published on the portal. Successful candidates report to NDA for cadet training.
What courses can you study at NDA?
The Academy runs five faculties: Arts and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering, Military Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. Your course of study at NDA must match what you registered for in JAMB and what your O’level subjects support. Engineering needs the higher 210 UTME cut-off; the other faculties accept 180. Check the course requirements PDF on the portal before you pick a course.
What goes wrong (and how to fix it)?
- Payment goes through but no access code: wait 30 minutes, then log back in. If it still fails, contact NDA support through the portal with your Order ID and RRR — refunds are not issued, but the team will re-credit your application.
- O’level subjects don’t match the course: the portal blocks submission. Re-check the JAMB brochure and pick a course your subjects fit, or wait for a future cycle after sitting the right subjects.
- JAMB choice not set to NDA: change it through your JAMB profile before the application window closes. NDA cannot admit you otherwise.
- Awaiting result: not accepted. Sit and clear your O’levels before applying.
How do you check the next NDA cycle?
The Academy publishes each new Regular Course application around November the year before. Watch:
- The application portal: ndaapplications.net.
- The official NDA website: nda.edu.ng.
- The Academy’s verified Facebook page and reputable Nigerian outlets — Leadership, Premium Times, Punch, Vanguard.
Any applicant for NDA admission must also apply through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and select NDA as first choice. You will sit the UTME alongside the NDA screening.
Related: JAMB updates and resources.
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HOW DO I GET THE NDA FORM IN THE YEAR 2017 TO 2018
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Have you gotten admission yet.? I am vivian
Pls have see my parent form an attestion form
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I can NOT upload some of my docuMENT
Pls I’m Unable To Upload My Documents, Saying Error In Connection Wit D Server, Pls Wat Shud I Do?
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POLICE,
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CONTACT MAJOR GENERAL IBRAHIM MUSA ON:{0903////79}
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I tnx GOD I am very happy to apply 4 NDA army and I hop my applicatines we be accp
TNX Sr
I have submitted my NDA form but don’t have exam center and my jamb registration pin is not out . pls what should I do? am confused
Have having the same problem. Am scared.
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I m Adamu zakariya GOD bls the nigerian Army
plz I can’t select de exam centre of my choice, I don’t understand what is de problem plz, can someone help me out?
Thanks for sharing
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am verry verry intrested in nda and am also a nigeria scout am proud to be
Comment Text* hello nigerian am hapy to said God bls nigerian army and nigeria in generalz.
God bls nda for he has done it for me
thanks
You’re welcome
omment Text*I’m proud of my nation, and with joy and confidence this year I’ve applied for NDA. may God Almighty bless my nation of service!
Proud to an academic student as CADET
Thank you
if you have any problem with NDA or any question be free to major bello ibrahim on o81o6328742