The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has formally ended admissions into affiliated degree programmes run by colleges of education, marking a major shift in Nigeria’s teacher education system and effectively making the Nigeria Certificate in Education the sole entry route into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was announced in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agriculture Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026.
Under the new policy, JAMB stated that there would be “no admission into any affiliated programme in any college of education from the 2026/7 session.”
JAMB has ruled out direct admission to the 100 and 200 levels of education colleges, stating that all new applicants must henceforth complete the NCE curriculum.
“As of the 2026/7 session, no entrance to the 100 or 200 level is permitted in any college of education. The Board noted that all entrants go through NCE.
The development marks the end of an era for associate degree programmes, which for decades allowed colleges of education to issue university degrees through collaborations with traditional universities.
The reform is expected to have an impact on thousands of candidates who applied to degree programmes through affiliated colleges of education during the 2026 admission cycle.
To mitigate the impact, JAMB presented possibilities for students who have previously picked accredited colleges of education for degree programmes through direct entry.
According to the Board, impacted candidates may apply for a change of institution at no cost, move to the parent university to which the degree course is attached, or allow their second-choice institution to become their first preference 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 further stated that candidates who wanted to move institutions had until June 22 to finish the process.
Similarly, candidates seeking 100-level admission into affiliated colleges of education through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have been offered three options: change institution, raise their second-choice institution to first choice, or relocate to the NCE curriculum.
The Board said applicants who choose the NCE route would need to secure an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination organisation and pay only ₦700 as a registration fee on the JAMB platform.
“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 explained.
The guidelines further stipulate that every application for NCE admission is a deliberate choice and that candidates recommended for NCE admission will 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 information would be instantly sent to their first-choice college of education or agriculture-related non-technology ND programmes.
The Board mandated O-Level verification for all NCE applicants, charging ₦1,500 for one sitting and ₦2,000 for two sittings.
JAMB asked colleges of education, institutional professional registration centres, accredited CBT centres, and its officers across the country to study the new criteria and strictly adhere to them.
“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.
The affiliated degree programmes have long served as a pathway for colleges of education to offer bachelor’s degrees in partnership with universities, allowing students to earn university degrees while studying in colleges of education.
However, the new policy effectively ends that arrangement for new admissions from the 2026/2027 academic session, reinforcing the NCE as the foundational qualification for teacher education in Nigeria.
