The Federal Government has announced the removal of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes in Colleges of Education nationwide.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the 2026 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board held in Abuja.
Under the new admission arrangement, candidates applying for NCE programmes will no longer be required to sit for the UTME before gaining admission into Colleges of Education.
Instead, applicants will only need a minimum of four O’Level credits in relevant subjects to qualify for entry into the programmes.
According to Alausa, the decision was introduced as part of efforts to reduce the administrative workload on JAMB and simplify the admission process for prospective students.
The policy is expected to significantly impact admission procedures in Colleges of Education across the country and may encourage more candidates to pursue teacher education programmes.
