The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently revealed the minimum admissible scores for the upcoming academic session. In a statement posted on their official page, JAMB announced that universities must have a minimum cut-off score of 150, while polytechnics and colleges of education require at least 100. Additionally, colleges of nursing sciences have a set minimum score of 140.
This decision was reached after thorough discussions among various stakeholders in the education sector during the 2025 JAMB Policy Meeting held in Abuja. The stakeholders, including heads of tertiary institutions across Nigeria, came to a consensus on these cut-off marks as part of efforts to maintain academic standards while ensuring broader access to higher education.
Setting these national minimum scores is crucial for guiding institutions in their admission processes and ensuring consistency within the educational system. While universities, polytechnics, and colleges are permitted to establish their own cut-off marks above the national minimum requirement, they are not allowed to go below it. Therefore, even if a university decides to set its cut-off at 180 or higher, they cannot admit any applicant with a UTME score below 150.
Throughout the years, there has been fluctuation in university cut-off marks from 160 to 180 before stabilizing at 140. This adjustment aimed at standardizing academic entry levels and aligning them with evolving educational requirements.
According to Nairametrics, recent years have seen an improvement in UTME performance. The number of candidates scoring above certain benchmarks has been gradually increasing. In fact, data showed that there was a significant rise in high-performing candidates compared to previous years.
Despite challenges like allegations of malpractice and technical issues leading to a national resit for some candidates, JAMB confirmed that only about 21.5% managed scores above 200. These statistics underscore both the competitiveness and opportunities within Nigeria’s higher education landscape.
As experts suggest,
“Establishing clear-cut admission criteria benefits both students and institutions by promoting fairness while upholding educational standards.”
Stakeholders affirm that maintaining transparent guidelines ultimately fosters merit-based admissions processes which are essential for enhancing learning outcomes.
In conclusion,
the establishment of these minimum cut-off scores serves as an important step towards creating a more equitable and quality-driven higher education environment in Nigeria.
By setting clear expectations for student admissions through standardized criteria,
JAMB aims to support academic excellence while ensuring inclusivity across various tertiary institutions nationwide.
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