For army officers and civilians:

  • The final selection process of participants follows a specific placement mechanism approved by the NDC Higher Council; Emirati applicants are only placed through their institutions.
  • The National Defence College addresses the federal and local HR departments for each emirate (or the equivalent in some local governments) in September/October of the year preceding the NDC course, and vacancies are identified per federal institutions and emirate.
  • The National Defence College receives the list of eligible candidates only from HR departments, and the name list is checked and sorted by the college.
  • NDC then contacts the candidates and sets a date for the personal interview to be conducted by a specialized committee at NDC during the months of January/February of the following year.
  • After the interviews, the shortlist of admitted participants is prepared, their institutions are provided with the results, and those accepted for the NDC course are then notified in April.
  • The NDC course begins in mid-August and lasts for approximately ten months on a full-time basis.