KEY POINTS

• The Federal Government approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for universities and nursing colleges in 2026.
• Polytechnics will admit candidates from 100 marks upward, while violators risk sanctions.
• Institutions can conduct screenings but must not charge more than N2,000.

The Federal Government has approved 150 as the minimum admission cut-off mark for all public and private universities in Nigeria for the 2026 academic session.

The decision was announced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the 2026 admission policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.

The government also fixed 150 as the minimum score for admission into colleges of nursing nationwide.

At the meeting, stakeholders agreed that polytechnics would maintain a minimum cut-off mark of 100.

Authorities warned that any institution found admitting candidates below the approved benchmark would face sanctions.

The committee also stated that tertiary institutions are free to conduct post-UTME screening exercises, but the screening fee must not exceed N2,000.

New Admission Ratios Introduced

The policy meeting also approved new admission ratios for tertiary institutions.

Conventional universities and colleges of education are expected to admit students based on a 60:40 science-to-arts ratio.

For specialised universities and polytechnics, admissions will follow an 80:20 ratio in favour of science and technical courses.

The annual admission policy meeting is held after the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to determine admission guidelines for the year.

During the meeting, institutions propose their preferred cut-off marks, which are then reviewed and approved by stakeholders.

In 2025, JAMB also fixed the university cut-off mark at 150, while colleges of nursing had a benchmark of 140.