The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has introduced sweeping changes to the admission process for Colleges of Education, effectively ending direct 100-level and 200-level entry into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.
Under the new policy, all fresh admissions into Colleges of Education will now be processed strictly through the Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, route.
The decision forms part of revised admission guidelines issued by the board for candidates seeking entry into Colleges of Education and agric-related National Diploma programmes.
NCE Becomes Sole Route Into Colleges of Education
According to the new directive, candidates will no longer be admitted directly into 100-level or 200-level programmes in Colleges of Education.
Instead, JAMB said every new entrant must come through the NCE pathway.
The board also announced that affiliated degree programmes run by Colleges of Education will no longer admit fresh candidates from the 2026/2027 session.
The move marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s teacher education system and is expected to affect candidates who previously planned to use direct admission or affiliated degree routes.
JAMB Restricts Multiple Admission Routes
JAMB said candidates will no longer be allowed to process more than one admission pathway at the same time.
According to the board, applicants will only be considered under one mode of entry during a given admission cycle.
The new guidelines also require candidates applying through the NCE route to complete O’Level result verification before registration can be concluded.
JAMB stated that the verification would be carried out through approved examination bodies including WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS.
Candidates presenting one sitting will pay N1,500 for verification, while those using two sittings will pay N2,000.
Choice of Institutions Now Limited
The board further directed that candidates registering through the NCE mode must select only Colleges of Education as their first, second and third choices.
It added that UTME applicants who selected Colleges of Education in the 2026 admission cycle would be automatically migrated to their chosen first-choice College of Education or agric-related non-technology National Diploma programmes where applicable.
Transition Options for Affected Candidates
JAMB also outlined transition measures for candidates who had already secured or were seeking admission through routes affected by the new policy.
Candidates admitted into Colleges of Education during the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 sessions without proper JAMB processing may be regularised through a condonement process, provided they obtain the required O’Level verification code and complete registration at approved centres.
For Direct Entry candidates who selected affiliated Colleges of Education for degree programmes in 2026, the board said they may choose to transfer to the parent university, apply for a change of institution, or retain any other available option allowed under the revised rules.
UTME candidates seeking admission into affiliated degree programmes through Colleges of Education were also given options to change institutions, move to their second-choice institutions or switch to NCE programmes.
JAMB Says New Rules Aim to Strengthen Admission Integrity
The board said the policy changes are designed to improve admission transparency, verify academic qualifications properly and ensure that Colleges of Education operate within established procedures.
The guidelines were signed by JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, who urged institutions and registration centres to comply strictly with the new framework.
The changes are expected to reshape how candidates pursue admission into teacher-training institutions across Nigeria from the next academic session.
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