The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a major overhaul of admissions into Colleges of Education (CoEs), declaring that the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) will become the only admission pathway into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The new policy effectively ends admissions into 100-level and 200-level programmes in Colleges of Education, marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s teacher education system.

According to guidelines released by the office of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the reforms are aimed at strengthening transparency, eliminating irregular admission practices, and improving the quality of teacher training across the country.

Under the new framework, candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education will only be admitted through the NCE programme. JAMB also announced the discontinuation of admissions into affiliated degree programmes operated by Colleges of Education, directing prospective students to pursue admission through the approved NCE route.

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The Board explained that applicants would now be processed through a single admission pathway at a time. Any candidate who chooses the NCE route will automatically have any ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) or Direct Entry (DE) admission process suspended.

JAMB stated that the objective is to ensure Colleges of Education remain focused on their core responsibility of producing qualified teachers while maintaining the integrity of the admission process.

As part of the reforms, the Board introduced a compulsory O’Level verification procedure for all NCE applicants. Candidates will be required to obtain an O’Level Verification Code from the relevant examination body, including WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, or NBAIS, before completing registration.

The verification fee has been fixed at ₦1,500 for candidates presenting one sitting and ₦2,000 for those combining results from two sittings.

Registration for NCE admission will be conducted through accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs) located within Colleges of Education nationwide.

Applicants will be required to generate a JAMB profile code, pay an application fee of ₦3,500 alongside a registration charge of ₦700, submit their preferred institutions and programmes, upload their O’Level results, and complete biometric registration.

JAMB disclosed that admissions would be processed through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which will electronically verify candidates’ credentials directly with examination bodies.

Only candidates whose results are successfully verified will be considered for admission, while applicants awaiting results must upload their credentials before their applications can be processed.

The Board also introduced a regularisation process for students admitted into Colleges of Education outside the official JAMB admission framework during the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions. Such candidates will be required to obtain verification codes, pay the necessary fees, and process their admissions through the JAMB portal.

For candidates who had already applied through the 2026 UTME for admission into Colleges of Education and agriculture-related non-technology National Diploma programmes, JAMB said their records would automatically be transferred to the new platform. These candidates will only need to pay the ₦700 registration charge and obtain the verification code since they had already paid the application fee during UTME registration.

The Board further provided options for candidates who previously applied to affiliated degree programmes in Colleges of Education. Affected applicants may transfer to the parent universities, switch to another institution free of charge, move to their second-choice institutions, or migrate to NCE programmes where appropriate.

JAMB announced June 22 as the deadline for Direct Entry candidates in affiliated Colleges of Education to exercise their preferred options.

The Board has directed all Colleges of Education, accredited CBT centres, and registration officers across the country to study the new guidelines carefully and ensure full compliance ahead of implementation.