The Federal Government on Monday announced sweeping changes to the tertiary admissions system, including the scrapping of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for candidates seeking entry into Colleges of Education and selected agriculture programmes — the most significant reform to the country’s admissions framework in years.
The decisions were taken at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions, held at the Body of Benchers Auditorium in Jabi, Abuja, and chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
EDITOR’S PICKS
The meeting brought together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, registrars and representatives of regulatory bodies including the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, also used the occasion to announce admission deadlines, unveil the 2026 UTME top scorers, and issue fresh warnings to institutions conducting admissions outside the board’s Central Admissions Processing System.
UTME Scrapped for NCE and Agriculture Candidates
The most consequential decision of the meeting was the exemption of candidates seeking admission into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme and National Diploma (ND) programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses from sitting the UTME. To qualify, such candidates must possess a minimum of four credit passes in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
Candidates seeking admissions into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME.
— JAMB (@JAMBHQ) May 11, 2026
Alausa, who announced the policy, said the exemption was designed to ease barriers to entry into teacher education and agriculture — two sectors the government has identified as critical to national development.
However, he stressed that exempted candidates must still obtain a JAMB matriculation number and have their credentials screened, verified and processed through the Central Admissions Processing System before any admission letter can be issued.
The implications are significant. Nigeria has faced a deepening teacher deficit, particularly in science, mathematics and vocational subjects. Requiring prospective NCE students to scale the same UTME hurdle as university-bound candidates — while competing for a different, lower-tier qualification — had long been seen as a structural disincentive. Removing that barrier could meaningfully widen the pipeline into teacher training.
The agriculture exemption carries a similar logic. Non-engineering agricultural programmes have historically struggled to attract candidates relative to law, medicine and engineering. Easing the entry route is a calibrated bet that more candidates will consider these fields if the bureaucratic burden is lower.
The risk, however, is one of perception. Critics may argue that removing the UTME — the country’s primary academic filter — from any admission pathway weakens the overall credibility of tertiary admissions. The government’s insistence on JAMB registration and CAPS processing is intended to address this concern, but how rigorously that screening is implemented will determine whether the policy achieves its stated goals or becomes an exploitable loophole.
Cut-Off Marks: 150 for Universities and Nursing, 100 for Polytechnics
After deliberation and a vote among vice-chancellors present, the meeting retained 150 as the minimum UTME score for admission into universities and colleges of nursing for the 2026/2027 academic session. The cut-off for polytechnics and monotechnics was set at 100. Both figures are unchanged from last year.
The Heads of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria had unanimously agreed that the Minimum Admissible Scores for admissions into Universities should be 150, Colleges of Nursing, 150, and Polytechnics, 100.
— JAMB (@JAMBHQ) May 11, 2026
Institutions had proposed scores ranging from 130 to 220 before the vote produced the 150 consensus for universities.
The retention of 150 is a pragmatic decision, but it does little to resolve the long-standing debate about what cut-off marks actually measure. As a national minimum floor — not a guaranteed admission score — it functions chiefly as a sieve that keeps the most academically underprepared candidates out of the queue. Individual institutions routinely set far higher internal benchmarks. Whether 150 is the right floor for a university system enrolling millions of candidates annually remains contested, and the wide range of proposals at the meeting — from 130 to 220 — reflects genuine disagreement among institutions about where that floor should sit.
Admission Deadlines Fixed
The meeting set clear deadlines for the conclusion of the 2026/2027 admissions exercise. Public universities are to conclude admissions by October 31, 2026. Private universities have until November 30, 2026. Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education must wrap up by December 31, 2026.
Oloyede warned that any institution that fails to complete admissions within its stipulated window will lose access to the CAPS platform for that session — effectively forfeiting its ability to admit candidates for the year.
He also introduced a four-week acceptance window for successful candidates, stating that admission offers not accepted within that period would be withdrawn and the affected candidates could become ineligible for further consideration in the same session.
The staggered deadlines reflect an attempt to impose order on a process that has historically been chaotic and drawn out — with some institutions carrying over unresolved admissions well into the academic year, disrupting resumption and academic calendar planning. Whether the sanctions will hold is the real question. JAMB has announced deadlines and threatened consequences before; the courts have often complicated enforcement, as Oloyede acknowledged by disclosing that a case involving 11 universities over alleged illegal admissions is already before the judiciary.
Minimum Admission Age of 16 Reaffirmed
The minister reaffirmed 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions. Underage candidates seeking exceptional consideration must score a minimum of 80 per cent each in the UTME, post-UTME, and SSCE, in addition to passing a separate exceptional candidate assessment.
Entering Age into the Nigerians Tertiary Institutions remains 16.
— JAMB (@JAMBHQ) May 11, 2026
This reaffirmation comes against the background of sustained parental pressure on JAMB to accommodate younger high-scoring candidates. Oloyede has previously noted that of over 38,000 underage applicants in recent cycles, only a small fraction score above the 320 threshold, suggesting the policy’s filtering effect is already working as designed.
Illegal Admissions: Fresh Warnings and Court Action
Oloyede used the meeting to renew warnings against admissions conducted outside CAPS, which the government has declared illegal and said it will not recognise. He disclosed that 11 universities are currently facing court proceedings over alleged illegal admissions — a signal that JAMB intends to move beyond verbal warnings.
Alausa reinforced the point, warning that institutions found in violation risk suspension of their operating licences.
Taken together, Monday’s decisions signal a Federal Government that is trying to simultaneously widen access, tighten accountability and modernise the mechanics of a system under immense strain.
FURTHER READING
The UTME exemption for NCE and agriculture candidates is the boldest of those moves and the one most likely to generate sustained debate about where Nigeria draws the line between expanding opportunity and maintaining academic standards.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
