JAMB Ends Affiliated Degree Programmes in Colleges of Education, Makes NCE Sole Entry Route

In a major policy shift set to redefine teacher education in Nigeria, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the end of admissions into degree programmes offered through affiliated colleges of education.

The new directive, which takes effect from the 2026/2027 academic session, means that candidates will no longer gain admission directly into 100 or 200-level degree programmes in colleges of education. Instead, the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) will become the only approved entry pathway into such institutions.

The decision was contained in JAMB's NCE/ND Agriculture Registration Guidelines released by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026.

“With effect from 2026/2027 session, no admission into 100 or 200 Level is allowed into any college of education. All entrants are through NCE.”

The development marks the end of a long-standing arrangement that allowed colleges of education to collaborate with universities to offer bachelor's degree programmes. For decades, the affiliation model served as an alternative route to university education for thousands of candidates who were unable to secure admission into conventional universities.

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Under the new framework, colleges of education will focus strictly on their core mandate of training teachers through the NCE programme, while degree-awarding responsibilities remain with universities.

The policy is expected to significantly alter Nigeria's teacher education landscape and affect admission choices for prospective students seeking degree qualifications through colleges of education.

To cushion the impact of the new policy, JAMB has introduced several options for candidates who had already applied for affiliated degree programmes.

Candidates who applied through Direct Entry can:

• Change their institution free of charge;

• Transfer to the parent university affiliated with their chosen programme; or

• Request that their second-choice institution be upgraded to first choice for admission processing.

Similarly, candidates seeking admission through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) may also switch institutions or migrate to the NCE programme where applicable.

JAMB fixed June 22 as the deadline for all institution change requests related to the policy transition.

Candidates choosing the NCE pathway will be required to obtain an O'Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a registration fee of ₦700 through the JAMB portal.

In addition, the Board has introduced mandatory O-Level result verification for all NCE applicants.

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Under the new arrangement:

• Candidates with results from one sitting will pay ₦1,500 for verification.

• Candidates with results from two sittings will pay ₦2,000.

The Board also emphasized that candidates who switch to the NCE route and are subsequently recommended for admission will automatically forfeit any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission processes.

This means applicants must carefully consider their options before making the transition, as the decision becomes binding once admission is offered.

JAMB instructed all Professional Registration Centres (PRCs), Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs), and its field officers nationwide to study and implement the new guidelines without exception.

The policy effectively repositions colleges of education as dedicated NCE-awarding institutions, ending their role as hosts of university-affiliated degree programmes.

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Education stakeholders are expected to closely monitor the impact of the reform, particularly its effect on teacher training, student enrollment patterns, and demand for admission into conventional universities.

Whether the new policy will strengthen the teaching profession by attracting more candidates into NCE programmes or simply shift demand elsewhere remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: the era of direct degree admissions through affiliated colleges of education has officially come to an end.