How to apply for education and agriculture courses exempt from UTME

The Federal Government has issued new guidelines for candidates who wish to gain admission to Colleges of Education and to non‑technology agriculture programmes offered by polytechnics and colleges of agriculture.

This follows the removal of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for these courses on Monday.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Education’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, said the approval stemmed from a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on 30 April 2026.

The policy is presented as part of efforts to tackle restrictive admission procedures that have been linked to rising numbers of out‑of‑school adolescents, limited access to tertiary education, and low enrolment in teacher‑training and agricultural programmes.

Accordingly, candidates applying for Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes and for National Diploma (ND) non‑technology agriculture and agriculture‑related courses will no longer be required to sit for the UTME before being admitted.

Guideline for Registration

While providing registration guidelines, the ministry clarified that “all prospective candidates will still be required to obtain the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) application form and process their admissions through the JAMB platform (CAPS).”

It added, “All admissions shall be conducted strictly through the JAMB Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), while existing minimum admission requirements remain unchanged.”

The new guidelines further state that “all applicants must upload their O’Level results on the JAMB portal as part of the admission process. Consequently, all admission letters for the affected programmes shall continue to be issued exclusively by JAMB upon due verification and compliance with prescribed admission requirements.”

Registration Process

Regarding the registration process, the ministry explained that candidates applying for NCE programmes should apply through JAMB without taking the UTME, and that JAMB and the Colleges of Education will coordinate registration for the 2026/2027 academic session.

Similarly, candidates seeking admission to ND non‑technology agriculture and agriculture‑related programmes in polytechnics and colleges of agriculture are expected to apply through JAMB without sitting for the UTME.

The ministry noted that JAMB, the polytechnics, and the colleges of agriculture will oversee registration for these programmes.

Admission Procedures

On admission procedures, the government instructed institutions to retain the existing minimum entry requirements for all affected courses and to continue processing all admissions strictly through the CAPS platform.

The statement also announced a one‑time retroactive condonement exercise to officially recognise and regularise NCE students who were admitted outside CAPS in Colleges of Education.

It explained, “As part of measures to address previous admissions conducted outside CAPS by Colleges of Education, the Government has approved a one‑time retroactive condonement exercise for only NCE students admitted into NCE programmes in Colleges of Education for both Years I & II at the 2025/2026 session.

“The condonement exercise will take place from 1 June to 30 August 2026 and will cover eligible students transitioning from Year One to Year Two, as well as those moving from Year Two to Year Three at the end of the 2025/2026 session.

“All affected Colleges of Education are required to upload details of eligible students admitted outside CAPS within the stipulated period to ensure proper documentation on the JAMB platform.”

The federal government warned that admissions conducted outside CAPS will henceforth be regarded as illegal and void.

It also directed provosts, rectors, and principal officers of tertiary institutions to cease issuing independent admission letters to prospective students.

The ministry added that periodic monitoring and compliance exercises will be carried out in collaboration with JAMB, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, the National Board for Technical Education, and other regulatory agencies to ensure full implementation of the policy.