JAMB ends admissions into affiliated degree programmes in Colleges of Education
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has discontinued admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by Colleges of Education, a move that reinforces the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as the primary qualification route into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session. The decision was announced in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines issued […]
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has discontinued admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by Colleges of Education, a move that reinforces the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as the primary qualification route into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was announced in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026.
According to the Board, admissions into all degree programmes run by Colleges of Education in affiliation with universities will cease from the 2026/2027 session.
JAMB stated: “No admission into any affiliated programme in any College of Education from 2026/7 Session.”
The Board also prohibited direct admissions into 100 and 200 levels in Colleges of Education, directing that all new students must be admitted through the NCE programme.
“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,” it said.
The development brings to an end the long-standing arrangement that allowed Colleges of Education to offer degree programmes through partnerships with conventional universities.
The policy is expected to affect candidates who had applied for degree programmes in affiliated Colleges of Education during the 2026 admission exercise.
To address the situation, JAMB outlined alternatives for Direct Entry candidates who selected affiliated Colleges of Education for degree programmes.
The Board said affected candidates could change their institution at no cost, transfer to the parent university overseeing the degree programme, 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,” JAMB stated.
It added that candidates wishing to make changes were given until June 22 to complete the process.
For candidates seeking admission through the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), JAMB provided similar options, including changing institutions, elevating a second-choice institution to first choice, or switching to the NCE programme.
Candidates who choose the NCE option will be required to obtain an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a registration fee of ₦700 through 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,” the Board explained.
JAMB further stated that applications for NCE admission would be treated as deliberate choices and that candidates recommended for admission through the programme would have any existing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.
“Anyone who chooses NCE and s/he is proposed/recommended, would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended,” the Board said.
The guidelines also provide that candidates who applied through the 2026 UTME would have their details automatically migrated to their selected first-choice College of Education or Agric-related Non-Technology National Diploma programmes.
In addition, the Board introduced compulsory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants. The verification fee was fixed at ₦1,500 for one sitting and ₦2,000 for two sittings.
JAMB urged Colleges of Education, Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs), accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and its officials nationwide to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines and ensure full 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.
Affiliated degree programmes have traditionally enabled Colleges of Education to award bachelor’s degrees through partnerships with universities. Under the new policy, however, new admissions into such programmes will no longer be permitted from the 2026/2027 academic session.