NDA 78 RC Application & Exam 2026: Official Dates, Portal & Requirements
Where 78RC stands today
- Applications for the 78 Regular Course closed in May 2026. The portal is no longer selling the form.
- The screening test (CBT) was held on 20 June 2026 and the Armed Forces Selection Board ran from 4 July to 19 August 2026.
- The admission list was released on 2 September 2026. Selected candidates report to NDA Kaduna on Saturday, 12 September 2026, and lose their place if they have not reported by Monday, 14 September 2026.
- There is no official date yet for the 79 Regular Course. The 78RC advert appeared in late November 2025; check nda.edu.ng for the next one.
The Nigerian Defence Academy has released the list of successful and reserve candidates for the 78 Regular Course (78RC). Selected candidates must upload their O’Level results on the JAMB portal, accept the admission on JAMB CAPS, and report to the NDA Ribadu Campus (Old Site), Kaduna, on 12 September 2026 with their original credentials. Reserve candidates are not expected to report; the Academy will contact them by email or phone if a place opens.
This page tracks the full 78RC cycle from the advert to the reporting date, and it keeps the eligibility rules and application steps on record because the next intake will almost certainly follow the same pattern.
Has the NDA 78RC admission list been released?
Yes. The NDA published the 78RC admission list on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in a statement signed by the Academy Registrar, Brigadier General OA Ogunleye, and posted on the Academy’s X (Twitter) handle. The list has two parts: candidates offered admission, and a reserve list.
The list is on the NDA website and the application portal. Check your name there, not on WhatsApp broadcasts or forwarded PDFs, because edited lists circulate every year.
When do successful 78RC candidates report to NDA?
Successful candidates report on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at the Drill Shed, NDA Old Site, Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna. The Academy has said anyone who has not reported by Monday, 14 September 2026, forfeits the admission.
Only candidates on the selected list should travel to Kaduna. Reserve candidates stay home; the NDA has said it may call them through the email address and phone number they registered with if the need arises.
Two other rules come with the reporting date. Photocopies are not accepted at documentation, so bring every original certificate. And new cadets are not allowed to receive visitors or leave the Academy during the first three months of training, so parents and guardians should plan around that.
What must selected candidates do on JAMB before reporting?
Three things, all on the JAMB portal, all before 12 September:
- Upload your O’Level results on the JAMB portal if you have not already done so.
- If NDA offered you a different academic department from the one you applied for, log in to JAMB and change your course to match the offer.
- Accept the admission on JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
JAMB does not treat the admission as complete until it has been accepted on CAPS, so do not skip this step because the NDA list already has your name.
What should you bring when reporting to NDA?
The NDA released a list of clothing and personal items every new cadet must arrive with. According to the Tribune report on the NDA statement, the list includes:
- Black trousers and white trousers
- A dark-coloured lounge suit
- National dress
- Black cover shoes
- White canvas shoes and brown canvas shoes
- Football boots and a hockey stick
- White shirts and socks
- Bed sheets and a pressing iron
Female cadets also bring black low-heel cover shoes, dark-coloured lounge skirts, black or blue short tights, and trouser suits. Bring the originals of every document from the application: O’Level certificate or statement of result, JAMB result slip, Certificate of Indigeneship, and the acknowledgement and consent forms printed from the portal.
What is the NDA Regular Course?
The Regular Course is the NDA’s five-year officer cadet programme. Cadets do military and academic training together and finish with an honours degree (BSc, BEng or BA) plus a Presidential Commission into the Nigerian Army, Navy or Air Force. That is the difference between the NDA and a regular university: you leave as both a graduate and a commissioned officer.
The Federal Government pays for training, administration and logistics, so cadets do not pay school fees. The 78RC intake is the 78th cohort admitted this way, and it is sometimes written as “78 Regular Combatant Course” in press coverage. NDA’s own advert calls it the 78 Regular Course. Read our guide to Army pay and allowances if you want to know what a commission is worth once you graduate.
NDA 78RC timeline: every date in the cycle
| Stage | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Advert published | Late November 2025 | NDA website |
| Application portal opened | Friday, 28 November 2025 | NDA advert |
| Original closing date | 30 April 2026 | NDA advert |
| Extended closing date | 15 May 2026 | Portal notice |
| Screening test (CBT) | Saturday, 20 June 2026 (the advert first listed 6 June) | ndaapplications.net notice |
| Armed Forces Selection Board (AFSB) | 4 July to 19 August 2026, NDA Kaduna | NDA statement, 2 Sept 2026 |
| Admission list released | Wednesday, 2 September 2026 | NDA statement on X |
| Reporting date | Saturday, 12 September 2026 | NDA statement |
| Forfeiture deadline | Monday, 14 September 2026 | NDA statement |
Save this table. When the 79RC advert drops, it tells you roughly how long each stage takes and how much time you have between them.
Who was eligible for NDA 78RC?
The requirements below are taken from the 78RC advert. Until the 79RC advert is published, this is the best working checklist for anyone planning to apply; expect the age cut-off year to move forward and little else to change. Missing any one of these means disqualification at documentation, even after passing the CBT.
| Requirement | 78RC rule |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Nigerian citizen by birth |
| Age | At least 17 and not more than 21 years old by August 2026 (the year of entry) |
| Marital status | Single, with no legal obligation to support a child or any other person |
| Sex | Male and female candidates both eligible |
| O’Level | Minimum of 5 credit passes at not more than 2 sittings, including English Language and Mathematics plus 3 other relevant subjects. Accepted bodies: WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, NBAIS, GCE O’Level. Results must not be more than 5 years old. Awaiting results not accepted. |
| UTME | Must have sat the 2026 UTME with NDA Kaduna as first-choice institution. Minimum scores: 210 for Engineering courses, 180 for Arts, Social Sciences, Science and Military Science |
| Height | At least 1.68 m (male) or 1.65 m (female) |
| Medical and character | Medically and physically fit, good moral character, no criminal record |
| Indigeneship | Certificate of Indigeneship from a state government or local government, presented at final screening |
| Languages | Knowledge of French, Arabic or Mandarin is an advantage, not a requirement |
The UTME first-choice rule catches people every year. If you wrote UTME with another university as first choice, you were not eligible for 78RC even with a score above 210. Anyone planning for 79RC should register NDA Kaduna as first choice when the next UTME registration opens.
How did the NDA 78RC application work?
The 78RC form cost 7,000 naira, paid through REMITA, and the whole process ran on www.ndaapplications.net. REMITA is the Federal Government’s payment platform; you pay with a Retrieval Reference (RRR) number instead of paying into a bank account.
The steps were:
- Go to the portal and click “Purchase Access Code”. Enter your personal details.
- The system generates an Order ID and an RRR code.
- Pay 7,000 naira against that RRR, either on the portal or at a bank. Only RRRs generated on the NDA portal are accepted; an RRR from anywhere else is a scam.
- Log back in and complete the form: bio-data, O’Level results, UTME details, course choice, and uploads (passport photograph, O’Level certificate, Certificate of Indigeneship).
- Attest and submit, then download and print the Acknowledgement Form and the Parent/Guardian Consent Form. You needed both at the screening test.
Confirm the fee on the portal when 79RC opens rather than assuming it will stay at 7,000 naira.
What is the NDA screening test?
The screening test is a computer-based test (CBT) and the first stage of the NDA’s Post-UTME. For 78RC it was held on Saturday, 20 June 2026, at centres candidates chose on the portal. Only applicants who met the UTME minimum (180 or 210) and every other requirement were allowed to print an admission card and sit.
Subject combinations for the CBT depend on the course you applied for; the NDA publishes them as a PDF on its admissions page. The Academy also sells a Compendium of Past Questions and Answers through the Registry at NDA Kaduna, which is the only official practice material. See our NDA past questions guide for how to get it.
Candidates could not enter the hall without four items:
- The Acknowledgement Form printed from the portal
- The Screening Test Admission Card printed from the portal (the NDA does not email it)
- The JAMB result slip
- Two postcard-size photographs (3.5 x 5 inches), showing the chest upwards, with the candidate’s name, exam number, state, exam centre, course and signature written on the back
What happens at the Armed Forces Selection Board?
Candidates who pass the CBT are invited to the Armed Forces Selection Board (AFSB) at NDA Kaduna. The AFSB is the final selection stage, and for 78RC it ran from 4 July to 19 August 2026. The NDA describes it as Phase 2 of the screening.
The board has three parts: a full medical examination, a physical fitness test, and an oral interview. Candidates who clear all three are the ones who appear on the admission list.
When does the NDA 79 Regular Course form come out?
The NDA has not announced a date for the 79 Regular Course. The 78RC advert came out in late November 2025 with a portal opening of 28 November, so late November 2026 is the most likely window, but that is a pattern from one cycle, not an official statement.
The only places the announcement will appear first are the NDA website, the application portal, the Academy’s X handle, and the national dailies. If a site or a person tells you the 79RC form is on sale before those sources say so, it is a scam.
A warning about agents
The NDA does not use agents, consultants or intermediaries for admission, and no one can add your name to the list for a fee. The Academy repeats this warning in every advert. Pay only the portal fee, only through an RRR generated on the portal, and check every announcement against nda.edu.ng.
If you are weighing the NDA against other security careers, our Nigerian Police ranks and salary guide covers the alternative entry routes.
Official sources for this page
- NDA: Application for Admission into the 78 Regular Course (advert, requirements PDF, CBT subject combinations)
- NDA Application Portal (portal notices, screening date, admission list)
- Tribune Online: NDA releases 78th Regular Combatant Course admission list, 2 September 2026
- PRNigeria: NDA Releases 78th Regular Course Admission List, Announces Reporting Date, 2 September 2026
- Leadership: How To Apply As NDA Begins Recruitment For 78 Regular Course, 2 December 2025
We update this page at each stage of the NDA cycle. If you are preparing for 79RC, bookmark it and check back in November, or browse our Career section for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police entry guides.