JAMB ends direct degree admissions in colleges of education, makes NCE mandatory from 2026

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a major overhaul of the admission process into Colleges of Education across the country, ending direct admissions into degree programmes and making the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) the mandatory entry route for all candidates from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The new policy was contained in a circular signed by Is-haq Oloyede, registrar of JAMB, on Sunday, outlining comprehensive guidelines for NCE and National Diploma (ND) Agric-related non-technology programmes registration and admissions.

According to the Board, with effect from the 2026/2027 academic session, no candidate will be admitted directly into 100 or 200-level degree programmes in any College of Education.

The circular stated that all entrants into Colleges of Education must first enrol for the NCE programme, while admissions into affiliated degree programmes in Colleges of Education would also cease from the same session.

“NCE/ND AGRIC REGISTRATION GUIDELINES

Flow of NCE and ND Non-Technology Agric Related Programmes Registration and Admission Processes

“Every application for NCE mode registration is a deliberate choice and, as such,

anyone who chooses NCE and s/he is proposed/recommended, would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended. Similarly, candidates seeking to migrate from NCE to UTME must disclose the pending, approved or previous NCE application,” the board stated

JAMB explained that candidates would only be processed through one admission route at a time and that those seeking to migrate between admission categories would be required to disclose any pending or previously approved applications.

“Candidates would be processed for only one mode of entry at a time.

With effect from 2026/7 Session, no admission into 100 or 200 Level is allowed into

any College of Education. All entrants are through NCE.

No admission into any affiliated programme in any College of Education from

2026/7 Session,” it added

As part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the admission process, the Board introduced a mandatory O’Level result verification system for NCE applicants. Candidates will be required to obtain verification codes from examination bodies such as WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS before completing their registration.

Under the new arrangement, candidates will pay N1,500 for verification of a single sitting result and N2,000 for verification of two sittings, while registration for NCE programmes will attract a JAMB application fee of N3,500 and a registration charge of N700 at approved centres.

JAMB disclosed that every College of Education now operates an Institutional Professional Registration Centre (IPRC) to facilitate candidate registration alongside accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.

The Board also unveiled procedures for the regularisation of candidates who secured admissions into Colleges of Education outside the JAMB admission framework during the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.

Such candidates, described as “irregularly admitted,” will be required to obtain O’Level verification codes, complete registration through JAMB’s portal and have their admissions processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

For candidates who applied through the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and selected Colleges of Education, JAMB said their details would be automatically migrated to their chosen institutions for NCE admission processing.

The affected candidates will only be required to obtain their O’Level verification codes and pay a registration fee of N700 to complete the transition.

Similarly, candidates seeking admission into Agric-related ND non-technology programmes will have their applications migrated to the appropriate institutions for recommendation and admission processing.

The Board further outlined options for candidates who had applied for degree programmes in affiliated Colleges of Education. Such candidates may choose to transfer to another institution, move to the parent university of the affiliated programme, or be automatically considered through their second-choice institutions.

For UTME candidates seeking 100-level admissions into affiliated Colleges of Education, JAMB said they may either change institutions or be moved to NCE programmes, reflecting the new admission structure.

JAMB noted that the reforms are aimed at streamlining admissions, improving transparency, enhancing credential verification and strengthening the quality of teacher education in Nigeria.

The Board directed all Professional Registration Centres, Institutional Professional Registration Centres and relevant officers to ensure strict compliance with the new guidelines, which have been published on JAMB’s website, College of Education platforms, the National Commission for Colleges of Education website and other designated channels nationwide.