The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and certain agriculture-related courses in colleges of education and polytechnics will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The announcement was made on Monday through a statement shared on JAMB’s official X account during the ongoing 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions held in Abuja.
According to the board, the exemption applies to candidates applying for education programmes as well as non-engineering agricultural courses.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained that candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes would no longer need to take the UTME, provided they meet the required academic qualifications.
Alausa stated that applicants with at least four credit passes would qualify for admission consideration without writing the examination.
He, however, clarified that all applicants under the new arrangement must still register with JAMB for proper documentation and verification.
“Candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme who possess a minimum of four credit passes will no longer be required to sit for the UTME,” the minister said.
“However, such candidates must register with JAMB, and their credentials will be screened, verified, and processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) in line with existing regulations,” he added.
The minister further disclosed that the exemption would also cover candidates applying for National Diploma (ND) programmes in agriculture and other related non-technology fields.
According to him, the policy is designed to improve access to tertiary education while maintaining the credibility of the admission process.
He noted that the decision would help reduce the pressure associated with the UTME and encourage more students to pursue careers in teaching and agriculture, sectors considered vital to national development.
“This approach creates a balance between expanding access to higher education and preserving the integrity of the admission system,” Alausa said.
He added that the policy would likely increase enrolment in teacher education and agricultural programmes across the country.
The development represents a major adjustment to Nigeria’s tertiary admission system, as the UTME has traditionally been the standard entry examination for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
JAMB’s annual policy meeting is convened to determine guidelines for admissions into tertiary institutions, including cut-off marks and other admission procedures.
The latest policy is expected to provide alternative admission pathways for candidates seeking entry into education and agriculture-related programmes through institutional screening and qualification verification processes.
In recent years, education and agriculture courses have generally recorded lower admission cut-off marks compared to highly competitive programmes such as Medicine, Law, and Engineering.
Earlier reports had indicated that JAMB would also use the meeting to determine the official UTME cut-off marks for the 2026 admission cycle.
