Federal Government Clarifies “No UTME” Policy, Announces Implementation Timeline
The Federal Government has officially abolished the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes as well as National Diploma (ND) Non-Technology Agriculture and Agriculture-related programmes across the country.
The development was announced in a press release issued by the Federal Ministry of Education through the Office of the Director of Press and Public Relations on May 12, 2026.
According to the Ministry, the new policy affects Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Agriculture nationwide and forms part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to widen access to tertiary education and reduce barriers limiting admission opportunities for students.
The Ministry disclosed that the approval followed a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on April 30, 2026.
The statement explained that the decision was reached in response to concerns over restrictive admission processes which have contributed to the increasing number of out-of-school adolescents, limited access to higher education opportunities, and low participation in teacher education and agricultural manpower development programmes.
The Federal Government noted that the policy is aimed at promoting teacher education, strengthening agricultural training, improving transparency in admission processes, and ensuring better coordination of admissions into tertiary institutions.
Despite the abolition of UTME for the affected programmes, the Ministry clarified that candidates are still required to obtain the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) application form and process their admissions through the JAMB Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
According to the guidelines released alongside the statement, candidates seeking admission into NCE programmes will now apply through JAMB without sitting for UTME examinations. The same exemption also applies to candidates seeking admission into ND Non-Technology Agriculture and Agriculture-related programmes.
The Ministry further stated that the new policy will take effect from the 2026/2027 academic session.
The operational guidelines revealed that all admissions into the affected programmes must still be processed strictly through CAPS, while existing minimum admission requirements remain valid.
The Federal Government also emphasized that all applicants must upload their O’Level results on the JAMB portal as part of the admission process.
In addition, admission letters for all affected programmes will continue to be issued exclusively by JAMB after successful verification and compliance checks.
As part of efforts to address irregular admissions previously conducted outside CAPS, the Federal Government approved a one-time retroactive condonement exercise for only NCE students admitted outside CAPS during the 2025/2026 academic session.
According to the Ministry, the condonement exercise will run from June 1 to August 30, 2026.
The exercise is expected to cover eligible students transitioning from Year One to Year Two, as well as students moving from Year Two to Year Three at the end of the 2025/2026 session.
Under the implementation guidelines, Colleges of Education have been directed to identify and upload details of Year One and Year Two students admitted outside CAPS during the 2025/2026 session to the JAMB portal within the approved condonement period.
The Ministry explained that the upload is necessary to ensure proper documentation and regularization of students’ admissions on the JAMB platform.
Furthermore, all affected students are expected to upload their records on the JAMB portal to facilitate proper processing and documentation.
The Federal Government, however, warned that any admission conducted outside the JAMB Central Admission Processing System after the implementation of the policy would be regarded as illegal and void.
Consequently, Provosts, Rectors, and other principal officers of tertiary institutions were directed to immediately stop issuing institutional admission letters outside the approved JAMB admission framework.
The Ministry assured the public that periodic monitoring and compliance exercises would be conducted in collaboration with JAMB, the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and other relevant regulatory agencies to ensure strict implementation of the new admission policy nationwide.
Check the full operational guidelines for the implementation of the new admission process into NCE and non-technology agriculture and agriculture-related programmes via this link:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TQakuB97vmP0i-1NSZfL4BksSbcGkPgm/view?usp=drivesdk
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