JAMB Abolishes Degree Admissions in Colleges of Education, Makes NCE Mandatory

JAMB Abolishes Degree Admissions in Colleges of Education, Makes NCE Mandatory

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a major change to Nigeria’s tertiary education admission framework, ending fresh admissions into degree programmes offered by Colleges of Education through university affiliations from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The decision, contained in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agriculture Registration Guidelines, effectively brings to an end a long-standing arrangement under which Colleges of Education partnered with universities to offer bachelor’s degree programmes.

Under the new policy, prospective students will no longer be able to apply for degree programmes through affiliated Colleges of Education. Instead, all candidates seeking admission into the institutions must now be admitted through the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme.

JAMB stated unequivocally that there would be “no admission into any affiliated programme in any College of Education from the 2026/2027 session.”

The Board further directed that admissions into 100 and 200-level degree programmes in Colleges of Education should cease immediately.

“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,” the guidelines stated.

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For several years, many Colleges of Education across Nigeria operated degree-awarding programmes through affiliation agreements with universities. Students enrolled and studied in the colleges but received certificates issued by their partner universities upon graduation.

The latest directive means that pathway is now closed to new applicants, marking one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s teacher education sector in recent years.

The policy is expected to affect thousands of candidates who selected affiliated Colleges of Education for degree programmes during the ongoing 2026 admission exercise.

The development follows recent reforms by the Federal Government aimed at revitalising teacher education and increasing enrolment in Colleges of Education.

Earlier, the government approved a new admission framework allowing candidates seeking admission into NCE programmes and some agriculture-related National Diploma courses to gain admission without sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), provided they possess the required O’Level qualifications and complete registration through JAMB.

Education authorities say the reforms are designed to strengthen teacher training institutions and make access to teacher education more attractive to prospective students.

JAMB has outlined several options for candidates already affected by the new policy.

Candidates who applied for affiliated degree programmes through the Direct Entry (DE) route may transfer to another institution without paying a change-of-institution fee, move directly to the parent university supervising the degree programme, or allow their second-choice institution to be processed as their first choice.

According to JAMB, “A candidate may choose to be moved to the parent university to which the Degree programme is affiliated.”

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The Board also advised affected candidates to complete any desired changes within the stipulated deadline.

For UTME candidates who selected degree programmes in affiliated Colleges of Education, JAMB said they could change to another tertiary institution, upgrade their second-choice institution to first choice, or transfer to the NCE programme of the selected College of Education.

As part of the reforms, JAMB has introduced compulsory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants.

Candidates presenting results from one examination sitting will pay ₦1,500, while those combining results from two sittings will pay ₦2,000 for the verification process.

The Board explained that the measure is intended to strengthen the credibility and authenticity of credentials used during admission processing.

Candidates opting for migration to NCE programmes will also be required to obtain an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a ₦700 processing fee through JAMB’s portal.

JAMB further clarified that candidates who choose the NCE option and are subsequently recommended for admission will automatically 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 said the measure is intended to prevent multiple admission processes running simultaneously for the same candidate.

Stakeholders believe the latest policy effectively restores the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as the primary qualification and admission route into Colleges of Education, reinforcing their original mandate as teacher-training institutions.

Observers also note that the move aligns with broader government efforts to improve the quality of teacher education, streamline admissions and reposition Colleges of Education as specialised centres for producing qualified educators.

JAMB has directed Colleges of Education, Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs), accredited Computer-Based Test centres and Board officials nationwide to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines and ensure full compliance.

With the implementation of the policy from the 2026/2027 academic session, the era of university-affiliated degree admissions in Colleges of Education will officially come to an end, ushering in a new admission framework centred on the NCE qualification.

JAMB Abolishes Degree Admissions in Colleges of Education, Makes NCE Mandatory