Nigeria TV Info 

JAMB Sets 150 Cut-Off Mark for University Admissions, Exempts NCE Candidates from UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has officially approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/2027 academic session. The decision was reached during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting on Admissions held in Abuja, with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, alongside vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and other education stakeholders in attendance.

According to the new admission guidelines, universities across the country will admit candidates who scored at least 150 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while polytechnics and monotechnics will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100. Colleges of Nursing Sciences also adopted 150 as their benchmark score for admissions.

In a major policy shift aimed at increasing access to tertiary education, the Federal Government also announced that candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes will no longer be required to sit for UTME, provided they possess a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects. However, such candidates must still register with JAMB for screening and admission processing through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

The exemption was further extended to candidates applying for National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses. Education Minister Tunji Alausa stated that the move is designed to encourage more students to enroll in teacher education and agriculture-related programmes considered critical to national development.

Despite the general benchmark of 150, several universities are expected to set higher cut-off marks for competitive courses such as Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and Engineering. Reports from the policy meeting showed that some top institutions, including University of Lagos and University of Ibadan, adopted higher institutional benchmarks.