JUST IN: Education, agriculture candidates now exempted from UTME – JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and agriculture-related non-engineering courses will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The board made the disclosure on Monday through a post on its official X handle during its ongoing 2026 policy meeting on admissions.

“Candidates seeking admissions into education programmes and agriculture non-engineering courses are now exempted from UTME,” the board stated.

The decision represents a major change in Nigeria’s tertiary admission process, as the UTME has long served as the standard examination for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education nationwide.

JAMB’s annual policy meeting is traditionally held to determine admission guidelines for tertiary institutions, including minimum cut-off marks and other admission procedures.

Although certain categories of applicants, such as Direct Entry candidates, have previously enjoyed exemptions from the UTME, the latest development is regarded as one of the most extensive waivers introduced by the examination body in recent years.

The new policy is expected to impact candidates applying for Education-related courses and Agriculture programmes outside engineering disciplines, with institutions likely to adopt alternative admission methods such as internal screening and qualification-based assessments.

The move comes amid growing concerns over declining interest in Education and Agriculture courses, which have historically recorded lower application rates and cut-off marks compared to highly competitive programmes like Medicine, Law, and Engineering.

The development also follows earlier indications that JAMB would announce the 2026 UTME cut-off marks during Monday’s policy meeting.