The National Service Authority (NSA) has released PIN codes for 132,393 prospective national service personnel for the 2025/2026 service year. This number represents a 26% decrease in submissions compared to the average of the last three years. The NSA attributes this decline to stricter validation protocols and the removal of inflated or fraudulent submissions.
For instance, in the 2022/2023 service year, a total of 144,773 graduates were reported from 275 institutions. This year, the figure has dropped significantly to 132,393 from just 100 institutions, marking a 36% reduction in graduate submissions and a 63.6% decrease in the number of contributing schools compared to the previous year.
Additionally, the NSA stated that 3,597 graduates from 22 institutions have been excluded from this year’s mobilisation because these schools are not recognized by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). The NSA indicated that these graduates will only be considered once verifiable evidence of accreditation is submitted.
“All institutional accreditation data referenced in this release has been validated by GTEC,” the NSA stated. They urged institutions with expired accreditation to regularize their status within 30 days to avoid complications for their graduates.
Alongside the PINs for accredited institutions, codes for private applicants—Ghanaian students who studied abroad, deferred, or defaulted—are pending final verification. Affected individuals are advised to contact the NSA if their PINs remain inaccessible by June 24.
Registration Process
Prospective service personnel must activate their PIN codes by paying GHS 40 at any ADB Bank branch or GHS 41 via MTN Mobile Money. Registration is to be completed at https://smarthub.nss.gov.gh between June 17 and July 1, 2025. The 2025/2026 enrolment process features new integrity checks, including facial biometric verification against Ghana Card data and compulsory GhanaPost GPS address input for proximity-based posting.
Military Pre-Deployment Option Introduced
The NSA also announced a pilot Basic Military Training phase for selected applicants ahead of their main national service deployment. Interested graduates may opt in during registration. Final postings will be done after completion of the six-week training, ensuring no loss of placement.
By: Jonathan Adjei
