The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and heads of tertiary institutions have approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was reached at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja and presided over by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
The stakeholders also fixed 100 as the minimum benchmark for admissions into polytechnics and colleges of education, while reaffirming 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.
Although the benchmark sets the national minimum, universities and other tertiary institutions are free to adopt higher cut-off marks depending on the competitiveness of their courses and internal admission policies.
JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, said no institution would be allowed to admit candidates who scored below the approved national benchmarks, even as he announced that institutions wishing to conduct post-UTME screening may do so, but must not charge more than ₦2,000.
He said, “No institution is allowed to admit candidates who score below the approved national benchmarks. Institutions are free to set higher cut-off marks in line with their admission policies, but they cannot go below the national minimum.”
Oloyede added that institutions were prohibited from requesting candidates to upload O’Level results independently, noting that JAMB would provide verified results directly through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
“No institution should demand result updates from candidates. JAMB will provide verified results through CAPS to ensure credibility and prevent impersonation.”
The board also fixed December 31, 2026, as the deadline for public universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education to conclude admissions, while private universities have until November 30, 2026.
Oloyede warned that institutions that fail to conclude admissions within the stipulated period would lose access to candidates on the CAPS platform
JAMB further unveiled the top performers in the 2026 UTME, with Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin from Ekiti State emerging as the highest scorer with 372 out of 400 marks.
Other top scorers announced at the meeting included Enwere Kingsley Ikenna from Imo State, who scored 370 and Bamisile Ayomide Emmanuel from Ondo State, who scored 369.