How to Submit Your Thesis/Project Work on NERD Website for NYSC Mobilization/Registration

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How to Submit Your Thesis/Project Work on NERD Website for NYSC Mobilization/Registration – Every prospective corps member (PCM) must ensure their final year project, thesis, dissertation or equivalent academic output is uploaded on the NERD system and that they obtain a valid NERD clearance slip from their institution before reporting for their 3 week nysc orientation camp.

Institutions (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, etc.) are required to coordinate uploads and issue the NERD clearance slips after supervisory approvals and NERD validation. The NERD portal provides a stepwise digital workflow — preliminary upload, AI anti-plagiarism/similarity assessment, supervisor/external examiner approval, file optimization and final submission — which institutions must integrate into their internal Mobilization procedures.

How the NERD requirement affects PCMs

Prospective Corps Members (PCMs):

  • Must ensure their final academic output (thesis/project/report) is deposited in NERD and obtain the NERD clearance slip from their institution before applying for NYSC mobilization/exemption. Failure to do so will hinder their mobilization.

Corps-Producing Institutions (CPIs):

  • Must enrol their institution and authorized officers on the NERD portal; prepare an internal SOP to verify and coordinate student uploads; supervise approvals and issue the NERD clearance slip after successful deposit/validation.
  • Must ensure data accuracy (student name, matric number, supervisors, department, award, year), and that institutional profile data is up to date on NERD.

NERD Platform Overview and Workflow

NERD is the national digital repository (official portal/databank). Institution admins, supervisors and students interact through a staged workflow:

  1. Institution enrolment/admin account creation. Institutions register/enroll on the NERD portal and appoint authorized officers (SAOs, HODs, EOs).
  2. Preliminary upload (student/PCM or institutional agent). The upload requires metadata: student full name, matriculation number, program, department/faculty, year of award, thesis title, supervisor(s) name(s), and the document file. The portal may require file format/size rules.
  3. Automated checks. NERD runs automated processes (AI-based similarity/anti-plagiarism check, learning recommendations and indexing).
  4. Supervisor & external examiner approval. After preliminary checks, the student submits the deposit for supervisor review. The supervisor must accept/approve or reject and request corrections.
  5. Final submission & optimization. On approval, the student/institution reduces file size (if required), completes any indexation fields, and finalizes submission. At successful finalization the system issues a record (unique deposit ID) and the institution can generate the NERD clearance slip for the student.

NERD Clearance Slip Details what it is and what PCMs must know

  • Student’s full name and matriculation/registration number.
  • Institution name and departmental details.
  • Title of thesis/project and year of award.
  • NERD deposit unique ID/reference number/QR code (for verification by NYSC).
  • Date of final deposit and the status (e.g., “Approved & Indexed” or “Pending”).
  • Names/signature stamps (digital) of approving supervisor and institutional NERD administrator, and an official institution stamp or printed letterhead if institutions choose that format.

    • PCM actions & cautions:

    • Do not attempt to register with NYSC for mobilization unless you have the valid NERD clearance slip and the unique deposit ID.
    • Keep digital and physical copies of the slip (screen capture + downloadable PDF) and confirm that the slip’s unique ID is readable and verifiable.
    • Ensure metadata (name, matric no., award year) is exactly the same on NERD and on NYSC application forms; mismatches can cause verification failures.

    Step by Step Guidance for PCMs/Students/Graduate on NERD Portal

    This is what a PCM must do, step by step:

    1. Confirm thesis finality: Ensure your thesis/project is finalized and signed off by supervisor (or be prepared to finalize corrections quickly).
    2. Contact your department: Ask the departmental undergraduate coordinator for the institution’s NERD SOP and the institutional NERD liaison contact. Some institutions will require departmental clearance before upload.
    3. Request upload: Follow the institutional instructions. Your institution’s authorized officer will upload on your behalf. Required fields will include full name (as on matric/degree), matric no., program, award year, thesis title, supervisor(s).
    4. Run and review similarity report: View the AI similarity/anti-plagiarism check and address any flagged issues with your supervisor. Do not finalize until the similarity index is satisfactory and your supervisor approves.
    5. Obtain approvals: Ensure supervisor and (where required) Student Affairs Officer (SAO) approve the deposit on NERD.
    6. Collect NERD clearance slip: After final submission and institutional verification, download and keep both digital (PDF & screenshot) and printed copies of the NERD clearance slip. Verify the unique deposit ID and QR code are visible.
    7. Use slip for NYSC: When completing NYSC mobilization forms and during verification, present the NERD deposit ID and the clearance slip. If NYSC requests further verification, forward the institutional NERD liaison contact.

    Tip: If your institution delays, escalate through the institution’s registrar or the NERD helpdesk; keep email correspondence as proof of effort.

    NERD Portal Common Problems and Recommended mitigations

    1. High similarity score: Supervisor must guide revision. Institutions should set a local maximum acceptable similarity threshold and offer a “resubmission window.” Recommend a two-stage supervisory review before final NERD submission.
    2. File size limits: Pre-optimize PDFs (compress images, remove unnecessary large appendices) to meet portal limits (NERD often expects ≤10MB final files). Institutions should provide file-compression services.
    3. Supervisor unavailability/slow approvals: CPIs should allow authorized deputies for approvals where supervisors are absent; implement a 7–14 days escalation policy.
    4. Metadata mismatches (name, matric no., award year): These cause verification failure with NYSC. Cross-check records before final submission. CPIs should run a final metadata validation batch for all graduating students.
    5. No institutional NERD account/unregistered institution: Immediate priority — institution must register on the NERD portal. NERD has sub-systems and support channels to onboard institutions; liaise with the NERD helpdesk.

    All Institutional checklist (quick reference for CPIs)

    • Appoint NERD Implementation Team and alternate contacts.
    • Enroll/register institution on NERD portal; create user accounts.
    • Publish NERD SOP to students & supervisors (upload deadlines, file specs, similarity policy).
    • Schedule training sessions & helpdesk hours for upload support.
    • Run pilot uploads (small batch) to validate workflow.
    • Issue NERD clearance slips only after final approvals & portal confirmation.
    • Keep a verified register of deposit IDs for audit and NYSC verification.
    • Provide a dedicated contact point for NYSC verification queries.

    How to Submit your Project Work on NERD Website

    Visit: https://databank.ned.gov.ng/home

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