FG abolishes UTME for NCE, selected ND programmes

The federal government has abolished the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as a requirement for admission into Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes and selected National Diploma (ND) agriculture-related courses across the country.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Federal Ministry of Education, the government said the policy affects NCE programmes in Colleges of Education as well as non-technology agriculture and agriculture-related ND programmes in Polytechnics and Colleges of Agriculture nationwide.

The Ministry said the approval followed a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on April 30.

According to the statement, the move forms part of efforts “to address restrictive admission processes which has further contributed to the growing number of out-of-school adolescents, limited access to tertiary education opportunities, and low participation in critical teacher education and agricultural manpower development programmes.”

The government added that the policy aligns with its commitment to “expanding access to tertiary education, promoting teacher education, strengthening agricultural training, and improving the efficiency, transparency and coordination of admission processes.”

Despite the abolition of UTME for the affected programmes, the Ministry clarified that candidates must still obtain the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board application form and process admissions through the JAMB Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).

“It is important to note however, 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),” the statement said.

The Ministry further stated that all applicants must upload their O’Level results on the JAMB portal, while admission letters for the affected programmes would continue to be issued exclusively by JAMB after verification.

As part of efforts to regularise previous admissions conducted outside CAPS, the government also approved a one-time retroactive condonement exercise for eligible NCE students admitted during the 2025/2026 academic session.

The exercise, scheduled to run from June 1 to August 30, 2026, will cover students transitioning from Year One to Year Two and from Year Two to Year Three.

“The Federal Government wishes to reiterate that, henceforth, any admission conducted outside the JAMB Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) shall be regarded as illegal and void,” the statement added.