The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has retained 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was announced during the board’s annual policy meeting held in Abuja on Monday, where key stakeholders in the tertiary education sector gathered to deliberate on admission guidelines and policies for the new academic year.
According to JAMB, the decision followed a vote conducted among vice-chancellors and heads of tertiary institutions present at the meeting.
The board also announced that the minimum admissible score for Colleges of Nursing would remain 150, while polytechnics would accept candidates with a minimum score of 100 out of the 400 obtainable marks in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB explained that the approved scores are officially known as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores and serve as the lowest benchmark permitted for admissions into tertiary institutions across the country.
The board stressed that no institution is allowed to admit candidates who score below the approved national minimum scores.
However, institutions are still permitted to set higher cut-off marks depending on the competitiveness of their programmes and admission requirements.
“The Heads of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria unanimously agreed that the Minimum Admissible Scores for admissions into Universities should be 150, Colleges of Nursing 150, and Polytechnics 100,” JAMB stated during the meeting.
The retention of the 150 benchmark for universities comes despite criticisms that followed the same decision in the previous admission cycle.
Last year, many education stakeholders and concerned Nigerians argued that the score was too low for university admission, raising concerns about academic standards in higher institutions.
Despite the criticisms, JAMB and tertiary institution administrators have maintained that institutions still reserve the right to set higher benchmarks for specific courses and programmes.
At the policy meeting, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, also reaffirmed that the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions remains 16 years.
According to the minister, the government arrived at the decision after extensive consultations and policy reviews involving relevant stakeholders in the education sector.
“Following extensive consultations and policy reviews, the government has maintained sixteen years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions,” Alausa stated.
He explained that the policy was designed to strike a balance between inclusivity and academic preparedness among prospective students.
The minister acknowledged the existence of exceptionally gifted students but noted that such cases would only be considered under clearly defined and strictly regulated conditions.
“This position reflects a careful balance between inclusivity and academic readiness. While we recognise the existence of exceptionally gifted individuals, such cases must be treated within clearly defined and rigorously enforced guidelines to preserve the integrity of the system as a whole,” he added.
In another major policy announcement, JAMB disclosed that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and agriculture non-engineering courses would now be exempted from writing the UTME.
The board said the policy forms part of broader efforts to encourage enrolment into critical sectors considered essential for national development.
The development was also announced through JAMB’s official social media platforms during the policy meeting.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education warned institutions against conducting admissions outside JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
According to him, any admission offered outside the CAPS platform would be regarded as illegal and would not be recognised by the Federal Government.
The warning is aimed at curbing irregular admissions and ensuring transparency and accountability in the admission process across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The annual policy meeting remains one of the most important events in Nigeria’s education calendar, as it determines admission guidelines, minimum requirements and operational procedures for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions nationwide.
