JAMB Overhauls Admission Process For Colleges Of Education

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a major overhaul of the admission process for Colleges of Education across the country.

The Board has made the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) the sole entry route for candidates seeking admission into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.

Under the new guidelines, JAMB also abolished admissions into 100 and 200 levels in Colleges of Education and ended admissions into affiliated degree programmes as part of efforts to streamline admissions, strengthen teacher education and curb irregular admission practices.

The decision was announced in the newly- released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar.

The guidelines stated, “Every application for NCE mode registration is a deliberate choice and, as such, anyone who chooses NCE and is proposed/recommended would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended.

“Similarly, candidates seeking to migrate from NCE to UTME must disclose any pending, approved or previous NCE application. Candidates would be processed for only one mode of entry at a time.

“With effect from the 2026/2027 session, no admission into 100 or 200 level is allowed in any College of Education. All entrants must come through NCE.

“No admission into any affiliated programme in any College of Education from the 2026/2027 session.”

The reform is expected to affect thousands of candidates who applied for degree programmes through affiliated Colleges of Education for the 2026 admission cycle.

JAMB also outlined options for candidates who had already selected affiliated Colleges of Education for degree programmes through Direct Entry.

According to the Board, affected candidates may apply for a change of institution at no cost, transfer to the parent university to which the degree programme is affiliated, or allow their second-choice institution to become their first choice for admission processing.

“A candidate may choose to be moved to the parent university to which the degree programme is affiliated,” the Board said.

JAMB added that candidates wishing to switch institutions have been given until 22 June to complete the process.

Similarly, candidates seeking 100-level admission into affiliated Colleges of Education through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have been presented with three options: change institution, elevate their second-choice institution to first choice, or migrate to the NCE programme.

The Board said candidates who opt for the NCE route would be required to obtain an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay only N700 as a registration fee on the JAMB portal.

“The candidate may be moved to the NCE programme of the institution, on the understanding that the choice of the College of Education indicates an interest in pursuing the NCE qualification,” JAMB stated.

The guidelines further stipulate that every application for NCE admission is a deliberate choice and that candidates recommended for NCE admission would have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.

“Anyone who chooses NCE and is proposed/recommended would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended,” the Board stated.

For candidates who have already applied through the 2026 UTME mode, JAMB said their details would be automatically migrated to their chosen first-choice College of Education or Agric-related non-technology ND programmes.

The Board also introduced mandatory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants, pegging the verification fee at N1,500 for one sitting and N2,000 for two sittings.

JAMB urged Colleges of Education, Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs), accredited CBT centres and its officials across the country to study the new guidelines and ensure strict compliance.

“All PRCs, IPRCs and officers of the Board are to study the guidelines and ensure strict compliance with the information contained therein,” the Registrar stated.