The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ended admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by colleges of education across the country. The decision is contained in the board’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines for the 2026/2027 academic session. Under the new policy, colleges of education will no longer admit candidates into degree programmes […]
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ended admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by colleges of education across the country.
The decision is contained in the board’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Under the new policy, colleges of education will no longer admit candidates into degree programmes run in affiliation with universities, making the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) the sole entry route into the institutions.
JAMB also ruled out direct admission into 100 and 200 levels in colleges of education, directing that all fresh entrants must now be admitted through the NCE programme.
The board stated that no admission into any affiliated programme in colleges of education will be permitted from the 2026/2027 academic session.
According to JAMB, candidates who had already selected affiliated colleges of education for degree programmes through Direct Entry may change their institution at no cost, transfer to the parent university offering the degree programme, or allow their second-choice institution to become their first choice for admission processing.
Candidates seeking admission through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) into affiliated degree programmes have also been given the option of changing institution, elevating their second-choice institution to first choice, or migrating to the NCE programme.
The board explained that candidates choosing the NCE option would be required to obtain an O-Level verification code from the appropriate examination body and pay a registration fee of ₦700 through the JAMB portal.
JAMB also introduced mandatory O-Level verification for all NCE applicants, with verification fees fixed at ₦1,500 for one sitting and ₦2,000 for two sittings.
The board urged colleges of education, institutional professional registration centres, accredited CBT centres and its officials nationwide to ensure strict compliance with the new guidelines.
JAMB noted that the new policy reinforces the NCE as the foundational qualification for teacher education in Nigeria and marks a significant shift in the country’s teacher training system.
The board further stated that candidates who choose the NCE programme and are recommended for admission will have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.
It added that details of candidates who applied through the 2026 UTME would be automatically migrated to their selected first-choice colleges of education or agric-related non-technology National Diploma programmes.
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