To be eligible to participate in the compulsory one year service , a graduate must be below the age of 30 years upon graduation, or else he/she will be given a Certificate of Exemption, which is also equivalent to the NYSC Discharge Certificate. A graduate who graduated before 30 years but skipped the service year, will still be eligible to serve even if he wants at the age of 60, since his certificate of graduation was dated before he clocked 30 years of age. NYSC is compulsory in the sense that the graduates of the country can’t request for exemption by themselves, unless they are disabled, have served in the military or paramilitary for a period of more than one year or have exceeded the age of 30 years when they graduated just like in the above explanation. Part-time graduates (CEP) are given an Exemption Letter, since they’re not allowed to serve.
