The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the end of admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by colleges of education across Nigeria, marking a significant reform in the country’s teacher education system.
Under the new policy, which takes effect from the 2026/2027 academic session, the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) will become the only entry route into colleges of education nationwide.
The directive was contained in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agriculture Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026.
According to the board, no fresh admissions will be granted into any affiliated degree programme run by colleges of education from the 2026/2027 academic session.
“With effect from the 2026/2027 session, no admission into 100 or 200 Level is allowed into any college of education. All entrants are through NCE,” JAMB stated.
The decision effectively brings an end to decades-long partnerships that allowed colleges of education to award bachelor’s degrees through affiliations with conventional universities.
Options for Affected Candidates
To ease the transition, JAMB has provided alternatives for candidates who had already applied for affiliated degree programmes through Direct Entry.
Affected applicants can:
- Change their institution free of charge;
- Transfer to the parent university offering the affiliated degree programme; or
- Upgrade their second-choice institution to first choice for admission consideration.
JAMB also advised candidates to complete any desired changes before the stipulated deadline.
For UTME candidates who selected affiliated colleges of education, the board outlined similar options, including the opportunity to switch to the NCE programme.
Candidates choosing the NCE route will be required to obtain an O’Level verification code from the appropriate examination body and pay a registration fee of N700 through the JAMB portal.
Mandatory O’Level Verification Introduced
As part of the new admission framework, JAMB has introduced compulsory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants.
The verification fee has been fixed at:
- N1,500 for one sitting; and
- N2,000 for two sittings.
The board emphasized that selecting an NCE programme signifies a deliberate commitment to teacher education and warned that candidates admitted into NCE programmes would automatically have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.
“Anyone who chooses NCE and is recommended for admission will have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry process suspended,” JAMB explained.
End of an Era for Affiliated Degrees
For years, affiliated degree programmes enabled students to earn university degrees while studying in colleges of education through partnerships with established universities. However, the latest policy effectively shuts that pathway for new admissions.
Education stakeholders say the move is aimed at strengthening the NCE as the foundational qualification for teacher training in Nigeria and restoring the original mandate of colleges of education.
JAMB has directed all colleges of education, accredited CBT centres, institutional registration centres, and board officials nationwide to study the new guidelines carefully and ensure full compliance.
The board also disclosed that details of candidates who applied through the 2026 UTME would be automatically migrated to their selected first-choice colleges of education or agric-related non-technology ND programmes where applicable.
The policy marks one of the most far-reaching changes in Nigeria’s teacher education sector in recent years, redefining admission pathways and reinforcing the NCE as the cornerstone of professional teacher training.
