Quick Steps to Convert HND to BSc in Nigeria

This may sound ridiculous and too cheap to believe in the possibility of converting HND to BSc. Over the years in Nigeria, there has been serious discrimination of polytechnic graduates from their university counterparts in employment and promotion in the workplace.

To date, Bachelor’s holders offered in the universities are ranked better than the HND awarded in the polytechnics.

Unlike the graduates of universities, HND holders cannot rise to Grade Level (GL) 17 in the civil service. Also, at the entry level in the civil service, polytechnic graduates are placed on GL07 while university graduates are placed on GL08.

The stakeholders in the polytechnics always frowned at the dichotomy and after all agitations, the national assembly in 2022 passed “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field for the Purpose of Employment; and for Related Matters. However, the president is yet to assent the bill into law which means the battle is yet to be won.

Meanwhile, in an obvious effort to reduce the effect of the BSc and HND dichotomy in Nigeria, the government through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has rolled out a programme to allow HND holders to convert their certificates to First Degree (BSc).

What’s NBTE?

The National Board for Technical Education, otherwise known as NBTE, is a board of education which supervises, regulates and oversees educational programmes offered by technical institutions at secondary, polytechnic and monotechnic levels through an accreditation process.

It was established by Act No 9 of 11 July 1977 with the aim of “providing standardised minimum guide curricula for Technical and Vocational Education and Training”.

What’s an HND?

A Higher National Diploma (HND) is a level 5 vocational qualification provided by higher and further education colleges. It takes two years to complete full-time, or three to four years if you study part-time. HNDs are practical-based courses, ideal for those wanting to enter the workforce or study towards a bachelor’s degree. In simpler terms, a graduate of a polytechnic or monotechnic receives an HND certificate.

How to Convert HND to BSc certificate through NBTE

Before now, most universities allow HND holders to convert their certificates to BSc to a peculiar program. But NBTE has now centralised it to make it easier for you to convert HND certificate to BSc.

There are certain condition to convert your HND certificate to BSC, which includes;

• You must have studied in any accredited polytechnic or monotechnic in Nigeria or abroad.
• You must have an HND certificate and be ready to study for 1 year.

Here are the steps to follow in order to convert youd HND certificate to BSc:

Step 1: Visit the admission portal https://admission.topup.nbte.gov.ng/ and log in if you have already created an account.

Step 2: Supply all the required details in relation to your HND which you already have.

Step 3: Then create an account and move ahead to submission of a new application

Note: Ensure that the university’s programmes chosen align with the technical and vocational fields covered by NBTE.

Step 4: After selecting a course of your choice, proceed to select which institute you wish to study at.

Step 5: Then proceed and submit the application by paying ($100) for the form fee.

Step 6: Go to the payments tab and download your fee receipt for the application form fee payment.

Step 7: Wait for the university to approve your admission, then go to ‘My Application’ and download the admission letter.

That’s all.

Conclusion:

NBTE is now the only channel through which you can contact a particular university in order to convert your HND certificate to BSc in Nigeria. This might change if the bill to abolish the dichotomy is assented to by Nigeria’s president.