JAMB has announced a major change to Nigeria’s teacher education system by ending admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by Colleges of Education in partnership with universities.
Under the new arrangement, candidates seeking admission into these institutions will only be admitted through the NCE programme from the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was contained in the board’s newly released NCE and ND Agric registration guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026. According to the guidelines, fresh admissions into degree programmes run by Colleges of Education through university affiliations will no longer be allowed.
The new policy also removes direct admission into both 100 and 200 levels in Colleges of Education. Going forward, every new student entering any College of Education must begin through the NCE route.
The development brings an end to a system that had existed for many years, where Colleges of Education partnered with universities to offer bachelor’s degree programmes. Through those arrangements, students could study at a College of Education and graduate with a university degree.
The change is expected to affect many candidates who had already chosen affiliated Colleges of Education for degree programmes during the current admission cycle. To address this, JAMB has provided several options for affected applicants.
Candidates who applied through Direct Entry can switch to another institution without paying any fee, transfer to the university that serves as the parent institution for the affiliated programme, or allow their second-choice institution to become their first choice for admission processing.
Applicants seeking admission through UTME into affiliated degree programmes have also been given alternatives. They may change their institution, promote their second-choice institution to first choice, or move into the NCE programme offered by the College of Education they selected.
For those willing to switch to the NCE programme, JAMB said they would need to obtain an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a registration fee of ₦700 through the board’s portal.
The board explained that candidates who selected a College of Education may be considered interested in pursuing an NCE qualification and can therefore be moved into that programme. However, any applicant admitted into the NCE programme will have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.
JAMB also disclosed that candidates who applied through the 2026 UTME would have their details automatically moved to their preferred College of Education or Agric-related non-technology ND programmes where necessary.
In addition, the board introduced compulsory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants. The verification fee has been fixed at ₦1,500 for candidates presenting one sitting result and ₦2,000 for those using results from two sittings.
The board directed Colleges of Education, Professional Registration Centres, accredited CBT centres and its officials nationwide to study the new guidelines carefully and ensure full compliance.
With the latest policy, the NCE now becomes the only admission pathway into Colleges of Education, marking a new phase in the training of teachers and education professionals in Nigeria.