The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has retained 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was announced on Monday during the board’s annual policy meeting held in Abuja, following a vote by vice-chancellors and other stakeholders present at the meeting.
JAMB also approved 150 as the minimum admission benchmark for colleges of nursing, while polytechnics will admit candidates from 100 marks out of the 400 obtainable marks.
The scores, officially known as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores, mean that no tertiary institution is permitted to admit candidates who score below the approved benchmarks, although institutions are free to set higher cut-off marks for their applicants.
At the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced that the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions remains 16 years.
According to him, the decision followed extensive consultations and policy reviews aimed at balancing inclusivity with academic preparedness.
Alausa also warned that admissions conducted outside JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) remain illegal and would not be recognised by the government.
In another policy update, JAMB disclosed that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and agriculture non-engineering courses are now exempted from the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
