The federal government has announced that candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education for the Nigeria Certificate in Education program will no longer be required to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, provided they hold a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the policy at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja, describing the exemption as designed to expand access to teacher education and address the persistent challenge of out-of-school adolescents.
He said the exemption would also cover candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses. All qualifying candidates under the waiver must still register with JAMB and have their credentials screened, verified, and processed through the Central Admissions Processing System before admission letters were issued.
Alausa reiterated that admissions conducted outside the CAPS platform remained illegal and would not be recognised, reaffirming that institutions bypassing the JAMB framework risked sanctions against their leadership. He also maintained the minimum admission age of 16 years across all tertiary institutions.
He commended JAMB for promoting inclusive participation for persons living with disabilities through fee waivers and other support measures, and said the government was pushing for computer-based testing, digital literacy, and the integration of artificial intelligence into tertiary curricula to better prepare graduates for the modern economy.
