The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially discontinued admissions into affiliated degree programmes run by colleges of education, marking a significant transformation in Nigeria’s teacher education landscape.
With this policy shift, the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) will become the exclusive entry route into colleges of education starting from the 2026/2027 academic session.
This development was outlined in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines, issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026. According to the guidelines, “no admission into any affiliated programme in any college of education from the 2026/2027 session.” The board also emphasized that direct admission to the 100 and 200 levels in colleges of education has been abolished; all new students must enroll through the NCE programme.
This decision marks the end of an era for affiliated degree programmes, which have enabled colleges of education to award university degrees in partnership with conventional universities for decades. The reform is expected to impact thousands of candidates who applied for such degree programmes in the 2026 admissions cycle.
To mitigate the effect on affected candidates, JAMB outlined several options: candidates may apply for a free change of institution, transfer to the parent university offering the degree, or promote their second-choice institution to first-choice status for admission processing. Candidates wishing to transfer must complete the process by June 22, 2026.
Similarly, candidates seeking 100-level admission into affiliated colleges of education through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) may either change their institution, elevate their second-choice to first-choice, or switch to the NCE programme. Those choosing the NCE route must obtain an O-Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a registration fee of only N700 through the JAMB portal. JAMB clarified that selecting a college of education signals intent to pursue an NCE qualification.
The new guidelines specify that all NCE admission applications are considered deliberate choices, and candidates recommended for NCE admission will have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry processes suspended. For those who have already applied via the 2026 UTME, their details will be migrated to their selected first-choice college of education or agric-related non-technology ND programmes.
Furthermore, JAMB introduced mandatory O-Level verification for all NCE applicants, with fees set at N1,500 for one sitting and N2,000 for two sittings. The board has directed all colleges of education, institutional registration centres, accredited CBT centres, and officials nationwide to study and strictly adhere to the new guidelines.
Affiliated degree programmes have historically provided a means for colleges of education to offer Bachelor’s degrees in partnership with universities. However, with the implementation of this new policy, such arrangements will end for new admissions from the 2026/2027 session, reaffirming the NCE as the foundational qualification for teacher education in Nigeria.
