The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program requires graduates to meet certain age requirements in order to be eligible. This post will explain the NYSC age limit for mobilization and how to calculate it.

Many graduates have been falsifying their ages in order to be eligible for the NYSC program, due to the age restriction placed on participation. When graduates believe they cannot participate in the NYSC program due to age restrictions, they may resort to age falsification.

Adding to the problem, the NYSC now writes graduates’ date of birth on their Discharge Certificate which can have negative implications during job hunting for those who have falsified their age.

The main objective of this article is to explain how the NYSC calculates age limits for mobilization, as understanding this calculation can help determine one’s eligibility status for the program.

NYSC Age Eligibility Criteria

Before we dive into how to calculate age for NYSC service, let’s first take a look at the age eligibility criteria. According to the NYSC official website, prospective corps members must meet the following requirements:

1. Must be a Nigerian citizen by birth or descent;
2. Must not be older than 30 years of age at the time of registration;
3. Must have obtained a degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) from a recognized institution.

Exemption of Graduate from NYSC Mobilization

There are specific situations that may exempt a graduate from participating in the NYSC program:

• The graduate is over 30 years old,
• Have served in the Nigerian military or para-military for at least a year;
• Or being physically disabled.

Note that if you are a part-time graduate, you will be given an Exclusion Letter instead of a Discharge Certificate. However, it is important to note that an Exclusion Letter is not equivalent to a Discharge Certificate, while a Certificate of Exemption is considered equal to a Discharge Certificate.

How to Calculate Age Limit for NYSC Mobilisation

Below is how NYSC calculate an age limit for mobilization;

• NYSC determines a person’s date of birth based on the information they provide to JAMB and calculates the time between the person’s birth date and their graduation from tertiary institution.
• If a person is over 30 years old at the time of their graduation, they will be issued a letter of exemption from National Youth Service.
• Even if a person exceeds the age of 30 by just one day at the time of their graduation, they will still be exempt from the National Youth Service.
• In the past, NYSC obtained the date of birth of students from their Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs), but due to some schools manipulating the age of their graduates, JAMB is now used for more reliable and accurate information.
• If a candidate believes there is an error in their date of birth as submitted to JAMB, it is the responsibility of NYSC to confirm their O level information with WAEC (West African Examination Council).
• It is important to note that the date of graduation used by NYSC is the one written on the person’s Degree or HND Certificate, and not the date of their final exam or project defense.

NYSC Mobilisation Batches And Streams

NYSC usually take 3 Batches every year, Batch A, B and C. If the number of registered graduates is higher than expected for a Batch, NYSC would split the Batch into “Stream 1 & 2′ for logistic reasons.

Number Of Graduate Mobilized For Each Year

The exact number may not be constant and may change over time. However, the approximate number of graduates in each Batch is around 40,000. It’s important to note that those who exceed 30 years at the time of graduation will not participate in the National Youth Service Corps but will receive a certificate of exemption instead.