Lagos Rejects JAMB’s 150 Cut-Off Mark, Sets 185 for State Universities

Lagos Rejects JAMB’s 150 Cut-Off Mark, Sets 185 for State Universities

The Lagos State Government has announced that candidates who score below 185 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will not be admitted into any of the state-owned universities, despite the lower benchmark approved by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, disclosed this on Wednesday during a ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa to mark the third anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

Sule rejected JAMB’s approved minimum cut-off mark of 150 for university admissions, describing it as too low for institutions owned by Lagos State.

“To us in Lagos State, the cut-off marks approved by JAMB look too low for our universities. None of our three universities is admitting any student who scored below 185 in the UTME,” the commissioner stated.

He argued that Lagos State could not afford to lower its educational standards to align with states classified as educationally disadvantaged.

“For JAMB to announce 150 as the cut-off mark out of the 400 obtainable marks in the UTME for this year’s admission seekers is very low. Lagos cannot be considered educationally disadvantaged to the extent of bringing its cut-off mark down to meet what Sokoto or Zamfara states require,” Sule added.

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The development comes after JAMB and heads of tertiary institutions approved 150 as the minimum benchmark for university admissions during the 2026 policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

However, under Nigeria’s admission system, universities retain the right to set higher cut-off marks depending on competitiveness, available spaces and institutional standards.

Lagos State currently operates three major universities: Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).

According to Sule, the expansion from one state university to three was part of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s broader strategy to improve access to higher education while maintaining quality.

“Increasing our universities from one to three is still part of what the governor is doing to provide more educational platforms and opportunities for Lagos residents,” he said.

“And increasing the number to four is still part of this effort by the state government to give all admission seekers the opportunity to get tertiary education in Lagos.”

The commissioner also revealed that the Lagos State Government was already working with the Ministry of Health on legislation to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences in the state.

If established, the proposed institution would become the fourth state-owned university in Lagos and is expected to strengthen medical education, healthcare research and manpower development in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Sule stressed that the state government would continue investing heavily in education infrastructure, academic staffing and improved access to tertiary education without compromising standards.

Education stakeholders say Lagos State’s decision may increase competition among candidates seeking admission into its institutions, particularly LASU, which remains one of Nigeria’s most sought-after public universities.

The announcement also comes amid concerns over the performance of candidates in recent UTME examinations.

Recent statistics released by JAMB showed that a significant percentage of candidates scored below 200 in the last UTME exercise, sparking nationwide debate over declining academic performance and admission standards.

Despite criticism from some stakeholders, JAMB has maintained that the 150 benchmark merely represents the minimum national requirement and does not prevent universities from adopting higher standards.

Lagos Rejects JAMB’s 150 Cut-Off Mark, Sets 185 for State Universities