The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/27 academic session.

The decision was announced on Monday during JAMB’s annual policy meeting held in Abuja.

Vice-Chancellors Approve New UTME Benchmark

According to JAMB, the cut-off mark was agreed upon after vice-chancellors and stakeholders voted during the meeting.

The gathering was attended by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, alongside heads of tertiary institutions and other education stakeholders.

Under the new arrangement, universities across Nigeria are expected to admit candidates who score a minimum of 150 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The JAMB cut-off mark 2026 announcement has already generated widespread reactions in latest Nigerian education news.

Polytechnics, Nursing Colleges Get Different Benchmarks

JAMB also approved 150 as the minimum admissible score for Colleges of Nursing across the country.

Meanwhile, polytechnics were cleared to admit candidates with a minimum UTME score of 100.

The examination body explained that the approved benchmarks represent only the minimum national requirement for admissions.

However, institutions are still permitted to set higher cut-off marks depending on the competitiveness of their courses and programmes.

Competitive Courses Expected to Demand Higher Scores

Over the years, universities offering highly competitive courses such as Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and Engineering have maintained admission requirements significantly above JAMB’s minimum benchmark.

Education stakeholders expect the same trend to continue for the 2026/27 admission cycle.

The latest JAMB admission policy has continued trending in breaking news Nigeria today as students and parents react to the new benchmarks.

JAMB Speaks on Admission Reforms

The board stated that the cut-off marks were approved after extensive deliberations aimed at balancing access to tertiary education with the need to maintain academic standards.

The announcement also comes amid ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s education sector, including recent decisions affecting admission processes for candidates applying to education and agriculture-related programmes.

Candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2026/27 academic session are expected to begin processing their applications based on the newly approved guidelines.