REGULAR COMBATANT COURSE (RC)
This is a 5 year course, comprising 4 years of academic program and one year of military training culminating in the award of a Bachelor Degree and a presidential commission to the rank of second lieutenant, or equivalent in the Navy and Air Force.Until 2011, this course used to be exclusively for males. The first set of females commenced training in September 2011.

Eligibility for Entry into the NDA Regular Course
To be eligible for admission into the regular course in the Nigerian Defence Academy, a candidate must meet the following requirements:

Minimum of 5 credit passes with English and Mathematics at the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination conducted by the West Africa Examination Council or National Examination Commission or General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level obtained in not more than 2 sittings relevant to the Faculty of their choices.

At least two supporting relevant credits to the compulsory credits in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Faculty of Science. However, only one supporting relevant credit is required in the Faculty of Engineering.

Be at least 17 years old and not more than 21 years old at the time of entry into the Academy. Nigerian Air Force candidates must be between 17 and 18 years old at entry.

Must not be less than 1.68 metres tall for male and 1.50 metres for female.

Must be medically and physically fit and must be of good moral character.

Must be single male or female without legal obligation to support any child or other individuals.

Present a certificate of origin obtained from a Local Government. A certificate of State indigeneship from the Office of the State Governor is desirable.

In addition to the foregoing, candidates awaiting results are not qualified and only examination results of not more than 5 years before the date of application are acceptable.

Vacancies
NDA has an annual cadets’ intake of 175 for the RC. This comprises of 155 males and 20 females. Defence Headquaters allocates these vacancies out of this number to the Army, Navy and Air Force. The number of intakes could vary each year depending on the manpower needs of the armed forces. There are also vacancies reserved for cadets from sister African countries.

Date of Assembly
The Regular Combatant Course assembles in September each year. However, all nomination processes must be concluded 3 months before the date of assembly.