The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has issued an advisory to all NCTE-recognised institutions offering the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) for the 2026-27 academic session.In the advisory, the council has made it clear that admissions to the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) must be conducted only through the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) 2026, which is organised by the National Testing Agency (NTA).The advisory follows the declaration of the NCET 2026 result, which was announced on June 4, 2026.According to the council:
- Admissions to ITEP for the 2026-27 academic session must be made only through NCET 2026.
- Only candidates who appeared for NCET 2026, held on April 17 and 18, 2026, will be eligible for admission, subject to the eligibility conditions of the concerned institution, affiliating university, State Government and other regulatory authorities.
- After the declaration of the NCET 2026 results, participating institutions and universities should prepare their counselling schedule, admission schedule and merit list based on candidates’ NCET scorecards and their own admission criteria.
- No admission should be given to any candidate who did not appear for NCET 2026. The council said that any admission granted in violation of these instructions will be treated as unauthorised and against the prescribed admission framework.
- NCTE also warned that any institution found violating these directions may face action under the relevant provisions of the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993, related regulations and other applicable rules.
Background
The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) is a four-year dual-major teacher education programme introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.As per Paragraph 15.7 of NEP 2020, admissions to the programme are to be made through a suitable subject and aptitude test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). For this purpose, NCET has been designated as the single-window national-level entrance examination for admission to ITEP.NCTE has advised all recognised institutions to strictly follow these directions while conducting admissions for the 2026-27 academic session to ensure that the admission process remains fair and in line with the prescribed guidelines.
