NABTEB no longer recognised for direct entry – JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will no longer accept NABTEB A’Level results as a qualification for direct entry (DE) admissions into tertiary institutions starting from the 2026 academic session.

The announcement was made on Thursday by Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the registrar of JAMB, during the 2026 policy meeting at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Key Highlights

Professor Oloyede stated:

“The Honourable Minister of Education has approved that the NABTEB A’Level GCE will no longer be recognized as a qualification for DE from 2026. However, all those who have already obtained it prior to this date will be able to use it.”

This means candidates who have already obtained NABTEB A’Level results before 2026 can still use them for DE admissions, but no new NABTEB A’Level results will be accepted going forward.

Challenges Faced by JAMB

During the meeting, Oloyede also highlighted the various challenges that have affected the conduct of the 2026 UTME/DE examinations, including:

• Examination malpractices

• Impersonation and substitution of real candidates by paid exam takers

• Fraudulent CBT centres sabotaging examinations

• Parents encouraging malpractice

• Mass cheating by syndicates

• Prolonged investigation and prosecution of offenders

These issues, he explained, have prompted stricter measures and a review of accepted qualifications for admissions.

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This decision underscores JAMB’s commitment to ensuring credibility and fairness in the UTME and DE admission process, while also maintaining academic standards across Nigerian tertiary institutions.