Hope, Fear as JAMB Releases Fresh Cut-Off Marks for Tertiary Institutions

Hope, Fear as JAMB Releases Fresh Cut-Off Marks for Tertiary Institutions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced the minimum admissible scores, commonly known as cut-off marks, for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session.

The decision was reached during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting held in Abuja and chaired by the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, with vice chancellors, rectors, provosts, and heads of regulatory agencies in attendance.

According to the resolutions reached at the meeting, the minimum cut-off mark for admission into universities was fixed at 150, while polytechnics will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100. The university benchmark remains unchanged from last year despite proposals from institutions ranging between 130 and 220.

For Colleges of Nursing Sciences, JAMB approved a minimum admissible score of 150, representing an increase from the 140 benchmark used in the previous admission cycle. Institutions had proposed cut-off marks ranging from 100 to 200 before the final decision was adopted through voting.

The policy meeting also introduced a major change for Colleges of Education. Candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

However, such candidates must still register with JAMB for screening, verification, and processing of admission through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). The move is aimed at improving access to teacher education while maintaining centralised admission monitoring.

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Speaking at the meeting, JAMB Registrar, Ish-aq Oloyede, stated that tertiary institutions remain free to conduct post-UTME screening exercises if they choose to do so.

He, however, warned that the screening fee must not exceed ₦2,000, stressing that institutions must comply strictly with approved admission regulations.

Oloyede also directed institutions not to demand result verification or updates directly from candidates, explaining that JAMB would provide official candidate data to schools in order to reduce impersonation and examination malpractice.

The registrar noted that the board is intensifying efforts to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s admission system through improved digital verification processes and tighter monitoring of admissions.

The 2026 policy meeting further reviewed broader issues affecting tertiary education admissions, including examination malpractice, technology-driven fraud, and the need for transparency in candidate selection.

The latest announcement comes amid growing concerns about the quality of admissions and the increasing number of candidates seeking placement into universities, polytechnics, nursing schools, and colleges of education across the country.

Education stakeholders at the meeting argued that the approved benchmarks strike a balance between maintaining academic standards and expanding access to tertiary education.

Candidates are now expected to await individual admission guidelines from their preferred institutions, many of which may adopt higher departmental or faculty cut-off marks depending on competition and programme requirements.

Hope, Fear as JAMB Releases Fresh Cut-Off Marks for Tertiary Institutions