JAMB opens registration for NCE, agric ND applicants exempted from UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has opened registration for candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes and non-technological National Diploma (ND) courses in agriculture-related fields, without sitting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME).

Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that eligible candidates with the required O’Level credits can register at any Institutional Professional Registration Centre (IPRC) domiciled in colleges of education, or at any JAMB Professional Registration Centre (PRC) nationwide.

He said the registration process followed the federal government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into NCE and non-technological agricultural programmes from writing the UTME, adding that JAMB had instituted an admission process to screen candidates and safeguard the quality of the affected programmes.

“Under this policy, eligible candidates only need to visit any designated IPRC or JAMB PRC with their O’Level credentials to complete their registration. There is no requirement to sit for the annual UTME,” Benjamin said.

He called on eligible candidates to take advantage of the window by registering at the designated centres across the country.

Benjamin further disclosed that candidates who had already sat the 2026 UTME but later opted for NCE or non-technological agricultural programmes could convert their applications at any designated registration centre at no additional cost, stressing that the policy was designed to widen access to teacher education and agriculture-related courses while preserving academic standards.

The exemption follows an announcement by the Federal Government in May that candidates seeking admission into colleges of education would no longer need to sit the UTME.

Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, speaking at the 2026 admission policy meeting in Abuja, had said candidates with at least four credit passes in relevant subjects could apply for admission into colleges of education without taking the UTME, though such candidates would still be required to register with JAMB for screening, verification, and certification of their credentials before admission letters are issued through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

The minister also extended the exemption to National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses, a move he said was aimed at boosting enrolment in the affected programmes.

The policy, however, has drawn opposition from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which warned that poor implementation could undermine the quality of teacher education and erode professionalism within the teaching profession.