There is no UTME cut-off mark for Early Childhood Care Education (NCE) at African Thinkers Community of Inquiry (ATCOI) College of Education, Enugu, for 2027/2028 candidates with at least four O’level credits. The national admission policy of 11 May 2026 exempts four-credit NCE candidates from the UTME, but they still register with JAMB and are admitted through CAPS. ATCOI has not published a cut-off of its own for the course.
2027/2028 update: ATCOI admission requirements and entry rules usually stay the same from one year to the next, so the rules on this page are what 2027/2028 candidates should plan with. They come from the latest official position (the 2026/2027 national admission policy and JAMB’s June 2026 NCE registration guide). If the 2027/2028 rules change anything, we will update this page.
Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) prepares you to teach and care for children from birth to about eight years old, in crèches, nursery classes and the first years of primary school. Below are the subjects to have, the costs JAMB charges for NCE registration, a worked example, the steps to apply and what you can do with the certificate.
ATCOI Early Childhood Care Education cut-off mark at a glance
| Item | Position for 2027/2028 planning | Status |
|---|---|---|
| UTME score for NCE Early Childhood Care Education | Not required with four or more O’level credits | Official national policy, 11 May 2026 |
| JAMB registration | Required, through JAMB’s NCE registration route | JAMB NCE guide, June 2026 |
| On JAMB’s course list for ATCOI | Yes, as “Early Childhood Care Education” | Myschool reprint of JAMB’s list, checked 29 October 2026 |
| ATCOI cut-off for this course | Not published | No college figure found |
| Duration | Three years full time | Standard NCE length |
| 2026/2027 admission deadline for colleges of education | 31 December 2026 | Official, JAMB policy meeting |
ATCOI Early Childhood Care Education cut-off mark history
| Session | Figure | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027/2028 | No UTME score needed for NCE | Planning position carried over from 2026/2027 | Holds unless JAMB changes the policy |
| 2026/2027 | No UTME score needed | Four-credit NCE candidates register with JAMB and are admitted on CAPS; no numeric minimum was set for colleges of education | Official national policy and JAMB’s June 2026 guide |
| 2025/2026 | 100 | JAMB national minimum UTME score for colleges of education | Official national figure (JAMB, July 2025) |
Nairametrics (11 May 2026) said the exemption starts with the 2027 admission cycle, but JAMB’s June 2026 NCE registration guide and Legit (23 July 2026) show it applied in 2026. For 2027/2028 the result is the same on both readings: with four or more credits you do not sit the UTME for NCE.
ATCOI Early Childhood Care Education admission requirements
ATCOI has not published its own O’level list. This table combines the national rule, the usual college of education pattern and JAMB’s brochure entry for Early Childhood Education, which is the closest entry to this course and is written for degree admission.
| Requirement | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of credits | At least four | National policy, 11 May 2026 |
| English Language | Credit required | Brochure general rule and usual college pattern |
| Mathematics | Expected at credit level | Usual college pattern; EKSU, IAUE, UNIBEN and UNILAG add it in the brochure |
| Other credits | Any relevant subjects; UNIJOS names Biology or Health Science | Brochure entry for Early Childhood Education |
| Sittings | Not more than two | Usual pattern |
| UTME for NCE | Not needed with four credits; JAMB registration still needed | National policy and JAMB guide |
Some directories describe ATCOI’s course as a double major. JAMB’s list for the college, as Myschool reprints it, simply says “Early Childhood Care Education”, so register with that exact name.
Which O’level profile is strongest?
| Your O’level profile | My read for NCE ECCE at ATCOI |
|---|---|
| No credit in English | Not ready. Resit first |
| English and three others, Mathematics only a pass | Meets the count, but weak for a later degree |
| English, Mathematics and two other subjects | Acceptable |
| English, Mathematics, Biology, and Home Economics, Civic Education or CRS | The profile I would aim for |
This is my advice, not an ATCOI rule. Biology helps because child health, nutrition and growth run through the course, and it is the subject UNIJOS names in the brochure.
If you are also sitting the UTME, and Direct Entry
For a university degree in Early Childhood Education the brochure’s UTME line is any three subjects, though KWASU wants Mathematics plus two others. You cannot enter ATCOI at degree level: from 2026/2027 JAMB stopped 100 and 200 level degree admission into colleges of education, including affiliated degrees, so every entrant starts at NCE. If ATCOI recommends you for NCE, JAMB suspends any UTME or Direct Entry process you have running.
JAMB NCE registration costs and rules
| JAMB NCE item (2026) | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| O’level verification code | ₦1,500 for one sitting; ₦2,000 for two sittings |
| NCE application | ₦3,500 |
| CBT centre charge | ₦700 |
| Who puts you forward | The college proposes candidates on CAPS and the Provost recommends them |
| O’level result | Must be on CAPS; awaiting-result candidates cannot be proposed until they upload |
| 2026 UTME candidates with a college of education as first choice | Migrated to NCE for a ₦700 charge |
| Effect of an NCE recommendation | Any UTME or Direct Entry process is suspended |
| 2026 NCE registration opened | 23 July 2026 (Nairametrics) |
These are 2026 amounts and may change for 2027. ATCOI’s form, acceptance and school fees are not published, so ask the college.
ATCOI screening for Early Childhood Care Education
I found no ATCOI admission notice for 2026/2027 or any earlier session, so no screening date, test, form price or portal has been published. NCCE prints the college website as www.atcoicoe.edu.ng, which I could not open. What does apply is JAMB’s NCE flow: the college reviews the O’level on your JAMB profile, proposes you on CAPS, and the Provost recommends you.
Worked example (illustrative)
Adaeze (an invented candidate) sat WAEC in May and her result is still being processed when JAMB’s NCE registration opens. She expects credits in English, Mathematics, Biology, Home Economics and Civic Education.
- Registration: she can register for NCE with JAMB while awaiting her result.
- Proposal: ATCOI cannot propose her on CAPS until the result is out and uploaded, according to JAMB’s guide.
- Result day: five credits including English and Mathematics. Pass, with Biology and Home Economics as strong relevant subjects.
- Cost to JAMB: ₦1,500 for the one-sitting verification code, ₦3,500 for the NCE application and ₦700 at the centre, on 2026 figures.
- Timing: she uploads at once, because the 2026/2027 window for colleges of education runs to 31 December 2026.
How to apply for Early Childhood Care Education at ATCOI
- Get your JAMB profile code: text NIN, a space and your 11-digit NIN to 55019 or 66019 from the phone line linked to your NIN.
- Buy the O’level verification code: ₦1,500 for one sitting or ₦2,000 for two (2026 figures).
- Register with JAMB for NCE: choose African Thinkers Community of Inquiry College of Education and Early Childhood Care Education. If you registered for another school, use a JAMB change of institution.
- Upload your O’level to CAPS: the college cannot propose you until the result shows on your profile.
- Contact the college: ask whether ATCOI runs its own form or interview, and pay only through an official channel it gives you.
- Accept the offer on CAPS: log in at efacility.jamb.gov.ng, open Check Admission Status, then Access my CAPS. JAMB allowed four weeks to accept in 2026/2027. Our JAMB CAPS guide shows each screen.
- Pay acceptance and register: confirm the acceptance fee with the college before you pay.
Warning
JAMB treats any admission outside CAPS as illegal. Nobody can sell you an ATCOI place or a direct entry into a degree. Because the college has published no admission notice, confirm with ATCOI that Early Childhood Care Education is admitting before you pay.
Your chances and common mistakes
ATCOI has not published how many ECCE places it fills, so there are no odds to quote. With no score to chase, these are the slips that cost candidates a place:
- Waiting to upload: an awaiting result blocks the college from proposing you until it is on CAPS.
- Applying without Mathematics: it limits your options after the NCE even if the college lets it pass.
- Names that do not match: your NIN, JAMB profile and O’level certificate should carry the same name.
- Leaving it late: JAMB set 31 December 2026 as the 2026/2027 deadline for colleges of education, and each offer must be accepted within the window JAMB sets.
Studying Early Childhood Care Education at ATCOI
African Thinkers Community of Inquiry College of Education, Enugu is a private college listed as open on the NCCE accredited colleges list (checked 29 October 2026), with Obozuhuike Ofoelue named as its head. A separate Institute of Ecumenical Education (Thinkers Corner), Enugu, appears elsewhere on NCCE’s list, so check which institution you are registering for. Accreditation of ECCE at ATCOI specifically is not confirmed; ask the college before you pay.
What you study
- Child development: physical, language, emotional and social growth from infancy to early primary age.
- Health, nutrition and safety: feeding, hygiene, first aid and keeping young children safe.
- Learning through play: early literacy, number work, songs, stories and making play materials.
- Working with families and running a centre: parent involvement, records and managing a nursery or crèche.
- Education courses, general studies and teaching practice: taken by every NCE student.
This is the usual NCE pattern for the course; ATCOI’s own outline is not online.
Careers and next steps
- Teaching: nursery and early primary classes in public and private schools, after TRCN registration.
- Childcare: crèches, day-care centres and early years programmes run by churches and NGOs.
- Degree by Direct Entry: the brochure shows UI, TASUED and UNILAG accepting an NCE in (Pre-)Primary Education Studies with a teaching subject for Early Childhood Education; ask the university whether it treats ECCE the same way.
Related ATCOI programmes
- ATCOI cut-off mark for all NCE programmes
- ATCOI Primary Education Studies (NCE)
- ATCOI Integrated Science combinations (NCE)
- ATCOI Business Education (NCE)
Other colleges in the South East with the course: ESCET Early Childhood Care Education in Enugu and ASCETA Early Childhood Care Education in Abia State.
ATCOI Early Childhood Care Education: frequently asked questions
What is the ATCOI cut-off mark for Early Childhood Care Education in 2027/2028? There is none for candidates with four or more O’level credits, because NCE applicants are exempt from the UTME. ATCOI has not published a figure for the course.
Can I use awaiting result for Early Childhood Care Education at ATCOI? You can register with JAMB, but the college cannot propose you on CAPS until your result is uploaded. Upload it as soon as it is released.
What subjects do I need for ECCE at ATCOI? ATCOI has not published a list. I would have credits in English, Mathematics and Biology, plus one or two of Home Economics, Civic Education or CRS.
Can I get a degree after NCE Early Childhood Care Education? Yes, through Direct Entry into a university education degree. Check the university’s brochure entry, because some name Primary Education Studies rather than ECCE as the accepted NCE.
Sources and updates
The UTME exemption for four-credit NCE candidates, the CAPS rule, the 31 December 2026 deadline for colleges of education and the four-week acceptance window come from the policy meeting of 11 May 2026, reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, VON, ICIR and TheNigeriaLawyer. NCE costs, the Provost’s recommendation, the awaiting-result rule, the UTME suspension and the end of degree entry into colleges of education are from JAMB’s June 2026 NCE registration guide, also reported by BusinessDay. The 23 July 2026 opening is from Nairametrics and Legit, and the 2025/2026 minimum of 100 is from JAMB as reported by Nairametrics (8 July 2025). The course name is from Myschool’s reprint of JAMB’s course list for ATCOI. Subject and Direct Entry details are from Myschool’s reprint of the JAMB brochure entry for Early Childhood Education, which describes degree admission. The college’s status, head and website are from the NCCE accredited colleges list. Checked on 29 October 2026; this page will be updated when ATCOI publishes a 2027/2028 notice.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
