The federal government on Monday exempted candidates seeking admission into colleges of education and some agriculture-related programmes from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, in a policy shift announced at JAMB’s 2026 admission meeting in Abuja. The move means candidates with four credit passes in relevant subjects can now apply for admission into colleges of education and the NCE programme without sitting for the UTME.
Tunji Alausa, who led the 2026 policy meeting on 11 May 2026, said the change is backed by evidence that colleges of education can absorb more students, especially from nearby communities. “Accordingly, 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,” he said, adding that the candidates must still register with JAMB while their credentials are screened, verified and certified before admission letters are issued through CAPS.
The federal government also extended the exemption to candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses. JAMB said candidates seeking admission into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are exempted from UTME. The decision comes as the board kept the 2026/27 cut-off mark at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics and 150 for colleges of nursing, while the age limit for entry into tertiary institutions remains 16 years.
The policy matters because it lands in a year when more than 2.2 million candidates sat for the Computer-Based Test in 989 centres across Nigeria, and JAMB had already released the first batch of results for 632,788 candidates in April 2026. On Thursday, 16 April 2026, candidates were told to check their results by SMS to 55019 or 66019 using the phone number they registered with. The exemption now gives some applicants a route into tertiary study without the UTME hurdle, but it does not remove JAMB from the process. Screening, verification and CAPS registration remain mandatory, which means the gate has widened, not disappeared.
For students eyeing teacher training and selected agriculture courses, the answer is now clear: the UTME will no longer be the first test of admission. JAMB has kept the main cut-off marks in place for universities, polytechnics and colleges of nursing, but it has also opened a separate track for education and agriculture candidates who meet the new credit requirements.
