JAMB Retains 150 University Cut-Off Mark, Introduces New 2026 Admission Rules

Millions of Nigerian students seeking admission into tertiary institutions are bracing for another highly competitive admission season after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) retained 150 as the minimum benchmark, with the JAMB 2026 cut-off mark set for university admissions in the 2026 academic session.

The decision was announced during JAMB’s annual policy meeting in Abuja, where education stakeholders also approved fresh guidelines expected to reshape the admission process across universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and nursing institutions nationwide.

Under the approved benchmarks, universities and colleges of nursing sciences will admit candidates with scores of 150 or above, while polytechnics and monotechnics will use 100 as the minimum threshold.

However, institutions remain free to set higher departmental cut-off marks based on the competitiveness of courses and the number of available admission spaces.

The development means candidates seeking admission into highly competitive programmes such as Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, Nursing and Engineering may still require scores far above the national benchmark to secure placement in many federal and state universities.

The latest policy comes amid growing pressure on Nigeria’s higher education system, where millions of candidates compete yearly for limited spaces in public tertiary institutions.

One of the biggest changes announced at the meeting affects candidates offered admission through JAMB’s Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).

Under the new rule, candidates will now have only four weeks to either accept or reject admission offers.

Officials said the move was aimed at speeding up the admissions process and preventing institutions from losing valuable admission slots due to candidate delays.

JAMB also reiterated that all admissions must be processed through CAPS, warning institutions against offering placements outside the platform.

“No institution is allowed to conduct admissions outside CAPS,” officials said during the meeting, stressing that any admission processed outside the system would be considered invalid.

Another major resolution from the meeting was to retain 16 years as the minimum admission age for tertiary institutions.

Education officials said the policy was maintained to ensure candidates attain the required level of academic and emotional maturity before entering higher institutions.

The policy meeting also introduced adjustments affecting some education and agriculture-related programmes, with officials indicating that certain admission pathways may no longer fully depend on traditional UTME requirements as authorities seek to boost enrollment in critical sectors.

The new measures have already sparked conversations among candidates, parents and education stakeholders, many of whom are now awaiting institutional cut-off marks and post-UTME screening schedules.

Education analysts say competition for admission is expected to remain intense this year despite the retention of the national benchmark.

JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, also disclosed that the board is considering plans that could eventually allow candidates to use personal computers for future UTME examinations under a monitored framework to reduce technical disruptions and examination malpractice.

The proposal is still undergoing consultations and has not yet been approved for implementation.

For thousands of candidates already calculating their chances, the new policy signals the beginning of another fierce battle for limited spaces in Nigeria’s increasingly overcrowded higher education system.