The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has maintained 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for university admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Read more: JAMB Announces University Admission Cut-off MarksThis decision was revealed during JAMB’s annual Policy Meeting on Admissions in Abuja, which brought together key education stakeholders to discuss admission policies for tertiary institutions nationwide.
The board stated that the 150 benchmark was set after a vote by university vice-chancellors present at the meeting.
Consequently, candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities via the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) must score at least 150 to be eligible for consideration.
JAMB’s policy meeting is held every year to determine admission procedures, minimum entry requirements, and other guidelines for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
While 150 is the national minimum agreed upon by stakeholders, universities retain the authority to set higher cut-off marks for competitive courses such as Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and Engineering.
This decision comes amid ongoing discussions about admission standards, access to higher education, and the quality of university applicants in Nigeria.
Stakeholders at the meeting emphasized the importance of balancing broader access to higher education with upholding academic standards.
The move also follows recent reforms by the Federal Government and JAMB to expand admission opportunities, particularly for candidates applying to education and agriculture-related programmes.
Additionally, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced that candidates applying for National Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes and certain non-engineering agriculture courses will no longer be required to sit for the UTME, provided they meet the necessary academic qualifications.
