Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has said the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education (NCE) and selected National Diploma (ND) agriculture-related programmes from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will increase tertiary institution admissions by nearly 1.5 million.
The minister made this known while defending the policy during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, following the announcement at the 2026 admission policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Alausa had earlier disclosed that candidates seeking admission into colleges of education would no longer be required to sit for the UTME, provided they possess a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects.
He clarified, however, that such candidates must still register with JAMB, while their credentials would be screened, verified, and certified through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) before admission letters are issued.
The exemption also applies to candidates seeking admission into non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related National Diploma programmes in polytechnics and monotechnics.
According to the minister, the policy is part of broader reforms aimed at expanding access to tertiary education and dismantling restrictive admission requirements that have historically excluded large numbers of qualified candidates.
“Let’s give these kids opportunity by removing the restriction,” Alausa said.
He recalled that the government had previously reviewed ordinary-level admission requirements, particularly the mandatory credit passes in both English Language and Mathematics for all tertiary admissions.
Under the revised policy, candidates applying for law, arts, and social science courses are now required to have a credit pass in English Language but not necessarily Mathematics, while candidates seeking admission into science and engineering-related programmes must have a credit pass in Mathematics, with English no longer universally compulsory.
Alausa said the earlier adjustment had already produced significant results.
He explained that while between 2.1 million and 2.2 million candidates sit for the UTME annually, only about 770,000 typically gain admission, leaving over one million candidates stranded each year.
According to him, reforms introduced last year increased the number of admitted candidates from 770,000 to 1.1 million — an additional 400,000 admissions.
He said the latest UTME exemption policy would further widen access.
“This year alone, with the changes we are making, eliminating UTME requirement for colleges of education and UTME requirement for non-technology agricultural and agricultural-related courses in polytechnics and monotechnics, it will increase the number of people being admitted to our tertiary institutions by almost 1.5 million,” he said.
The minister maintained that the reforms are intended to remove systemic barriers while boosting enrolment in critical sectors such as teacher education and agriculture, which are considered vital to Nigeria’s long-term national development goals.
The policy shift marks one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s tertiary admission process in recent years and is expected to reshape admission patterns across colleges of education, polytechnics, and monotechnics nationwide.
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