You No Longer Need JAMB to Study Education or Agriculture in Nigeria But Read This First
If you want to become a teacher or study certain agriculture-related courses in Nigeria, you may no longer need to sit for the JAMB UTME. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting held on May 11.
However, many candidates are already misunderstanding what the policy actually means.
Here is what the new arrangement covers.
Who the policy applies to:
Candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes
Candidates applying for National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses
What candidates need to qualify:
Applicants are expected to have at least four credit passes in their SSCE examinations, including WAEC or NECO. That requirement now replaces the UTME for the affected programmes.
What many people are getting wrong is that JAMB has not been removed completely from the admission process.
Candidates are still required to register with JAMB. The board will continue to handle candidate verification and admission processing through CAPS. Institutions cannot issue valid admission letters outside that system.
The process now works this way:
Obtain your SSCE result with the required credits
Register with JAMB and complete your profile
Submit your credentials for verification
Your institution processes admission through CAPS
Admission is issued after approval
The major difference is that candidates under these categories may no longer need to write the UTME examination itself.
According to the Federal Government, the decision is aimed at reducing pressure on the UTME system while encouraging more students to enter teacher education and agriculture-related fields, especially at a time Nigeria continues to face shortages in both sectors.
The policy has also triggered debate within the education sector. Some stakeholders believe removing UTME from teacher training admissions could lower academic standards, while others argue it may improve access for students who struggle with the current examination process.
For now, the policy is expected to take effect from the 2026/2027 admission session.
Candidates seeking admission into eligible Education and agriculture-related programmes may now have a route that does not require writing UTME. However, JAMB registration and CAPS processing still remain compulsory for admission to be recognised officially.