The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and heads of tertiary institutions have agreed on 150 as the minimum UTME score for university admission in the 2026 academic session.
The decision was reached on Monday during the 2026 annual policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions held in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed entry requirements for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
According to the resolution, the new benchmarks officially referred to as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores mean that no institution is allowed to admit candidates scoring below the approved cut-off marks. However, schools retain the autonomy to set higher standards if they wish.
JAMB stated: “The Heads of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria had unanimously agreed that the Minimum Admissible Scores for admissions into Universities should be 150, Colleges of Nursing, 150, and Polytechnics, 100.”
This means universities and colleges of nursing will now use 150 as the baseline score, while polytechnics and colleges of education remain at 100, unchanged from the previous year.
The agreement was reached after extensive deliberations and voting by vice-chancellors and other institutional leaders.
In related developments at the same policy meeting, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that the federal government has maintained 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions nationwide.
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