NBTE Caps MSQ Charges at ₦15,000 for Polytechnic Students
NBTE Caps MSQ Charges at ₦15,000 for Polytechnic Students
… approves ₦12,000 assessment and certification fee for eligible HND students undertaking QAA Unit 1 online training
Kaduna, 28 September 2026
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has directed all Polytechnics and allied institutions in Nigeria to cap charges for the Mandatory Skills Qualification (MSQ) at ₦15,000 per student, effective under the implementation of the newly reviewed National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) curricula, to ensure affordable access to occupational skills training, assessment and certification, while requiring institutions to utilise their existing training facilities and approved arrangements with workplaces for delivery.
The directive, contained in a circular issued by the Board on 28 September 2026 and addressed to all Rectors and Provosts of Polytechnics and allied institutions, is in line with the Guidelines for the Implementation of Mandatory Skills Qualification (MSQ) in Polytechnics in Nigeria, June 2024.
The MSQ is a mandatory component of the newly reviewed ND and HND curricula designed to equip students with relevant occupational competencies and facilitate dual certification through skills training, assessment and certification at the appropriate levels.
According to the Board, MSQ has been incorporated into the academic programmes of Polytechnics and allied institutions, while students already pay approved tuition and other institutional charges that cover substantial aspects of their training. Consequently, any additional charge specifically imposed for MSQ must not exceed ₦15,000 per student, with the amount primarily intended to cover assessment and certification by Awarding Bodies.
NBTE stated that the prescribed ceiling is intended to ensure that MSQ implementation remains affordable and does not place an undue financial burden on students and their parents or guardians.
The Board has therefore directed institutions to make maximum use of their existing Skills Development Centres (SDCs), Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs), workshops, laboratories, equipment and other available training facilities in delivering MSQ.
Institutions are also expected to implement MSQ in phases, beginning with departments or schools where the required facilities are available. Where a particular trade is not available within an institution, arrangements may be made with suitable workplaces to provide the required training.
The Board further directed institutions to ensure transparency in the application of the approved MSQ charge and avoid imposing additional fees that duplicate expenses already covered under approved tuition or other institutional charges. The assessment and certification fee is to be charged only once within the two-year programme, preferably in the final year.
For HND students who have already obtained an NSQ at ND level, the approved guidelines provide for progression to a higher-level NSQ or, where applicable, Quality Assurance Assessor (QAA) Unit 1 training as their HND MSQ.
The QAA Unit 1 training is a four-credit-unit course delivered over two semesters in the final year. The training is available online without tuition charges, with an approved ₦12,000 assessment and certification fee per student.
Institutions interested in enrolling eligible HND students for the online QAA Unit 1 training may access the NBTE e-learning platform at:
The Board stated that login credentials will be provided to interested institutions upon formal request to NBTE and payment of the approved ₦12,000 assessment and certification fee per student.
The arrangement applies strictly to HND students. Non-students are not permitted to enrol on the platform for the QAA Unit 1 online training under this arrangement.
NBTE has consequently urged all Rectors and Provosts of Polytechnics and allied institutions to ensure strict compliance with the directive and to clearly communicate the approved ₦15,000 maximum MSQ charge to students and other relevant stakeholders.
The Board reiterated that the implementation of MSQ is intended to strengthen the occupational competencies of Polytechnic students and provide them with additional skills certification alongside their academic qualifications.