JAMB Retains 150 Cut-Off Mark for University Admissions in 2026

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian Universities for the 2026 academic session.

The decision was reached during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting held in Abuja on Monday May 11 and chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa. Stakeholders in the Education sector, including Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, and other Admission Officials, participated in the meeting where admission guidelines for Tertiary Institutions were reviewed and adopted.

According to the resolutions reached at the meeting, Universities across the Country will admit candidates who score a minimum of 150 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while polytechnics and colleges of education will maintain 100 as their benchmark score. Colleges of Nursing Sciences were also placed at 150.

Reports indicate that several institutions proposed varying cut-off marks ranging from 130 to over 200 during deliberations, but 150 was eventually adopted after voting by stakeholders. The approved benchmark remains unchanged from the previous admission cycle for Universities.

JAMB also reiterated that no tertiary institution is allowed to commence admissions or announce departmental cut-off marks until the policy meeting decisions are fully implemented.

In another major development announced during the meeting, the Federal Government approved direct admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes using only O’Level results, removing the compulsory UTME requirement for candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education.

The annual policy meeting remains one of the most important events in Nigeria’s education calendar, as it determines admission procedures and minimum admission benchmarks for Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics, and Colleges of Education Nationwide.