The Federal Government has removed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for students seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes and some agriculture-related courses across tertiary institutions in the country.
The development was announced by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, during the 2026 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.
Under the new arrangement, candidates applying for NCE programmes will no longer need to sit for the UTME before securing admission into Colleges of Education. Instead, applicants with at least four credit passes in relevant O’Level subjects will be eligible for admission.
The policy also covers candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses. According to the Minister, the decision is part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to widen access to tertiary education and encourage more young Nigerians to embrace careers in teaching and agriculture.
Alausa explained that the reform became necessary due to the growing pressure on the UTME system as the number of candidates registering for the examination continues to rise yearly. Reports show that more than 2.2 million candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, making it one of the highest registration figures recorded by JAMB in recent years.
Despite the waiver, the Minister clarified that prospective students would still be required to register with JAMB. He added that all admissions must pass through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) for proper screening and verification before admission letters are issued.
He further warned institutions against conducting admissions outside the CAPS platform, stressing that any admission process not approved by JAMB would be considered illegal and could attract sanctions.
The Federal Government believes the new policy will help boost enrolment in Colleges of Education and agricultural institutions, particularly among students from rural and underserved communities where access to higher education remains limited. The Minister noted that many Colleges of Education still have enough capacity to admit more students, making the reform necessary to address both the rising number of out-of-school youths and the shortage of qualified teachers in the country.
At the same policy meeting, stakeholders in the education sector also agreed on new minimum admission scores for tertiary institutions. Universities and Colleges of Nursing adopted 150 as the minimum admissible score, while Polytechnics and related institutions fixed theirs at 100.
The government reiterated its commitment to reforms aimed at improving access, transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s tertiary education system, while also promoting technology-driven learning and computer-based assessment nationwide.
