The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has issued a notice to all NCTE recognized institutions offering the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) for the academic session 2026-27.In the advisory, the council has made it clear that admissions to the four-year Integrated Teacher Training Program (ITEP) should only be conducted through the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) 2026, which is organized by the National Testing Agency (NTA).The notice follows the declaration of NCET Result 2026, which was announced on June 4, 2026.According to the council:
- ITEP admissions for the academic session 2026-27 should be through NCET 2026 only.
- Only candidates who appeared for NCET 2026 held on 17th and 18th April 2026 will be eligible for admission subject to the eligibility conditions of the concerned institution, affiliated university, state government and other regulatory authorities.
- After the declaration of NCET 2026 results, the participating institutions and universities should prepare their counseling schedule, admission schedule and merit list based on the NCET scorecards of the candidates and their own admission criteria.
- No admission should be given to any candidate who has not appeared in NCET 2026. The board said that any admission given in violation of these instructions will be treated as unauthorized and against the prescribed admission framework.
- The NCTE also warned that any institution violating these instructions 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 Training Program (ITEP) is a dual four-year teacher training program introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.According to paragraph 15.7 of the NEP 2020, admissions to the program must be made through an appropriate subject and aptitude test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). For this purpose, NCET has been designated as the single window national entrance examination for ITEP admission.NCTE has advised all recognized institutions to strictly follow these instructions while conducting admissions for the academic session 2026-27 to ensure that the admission process remains fair and as per the prescribed guidelines.