JAMB Sets 150 Cut-Off Mark for Universities, Fixes 2026 Admission Deadlines

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

The board also fixed 100 as the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission into polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.

The decisions were reached on Monday during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who chaired the meeting, said the approved cut-off marks represented the minimum benchmark for admissions and must be strictly adhered to by all institutions.

Stakeholders at the meeting also agreed on deadlines for the completion of admissions into tertiary institutions across the country.

Under the new timetable, public universities are expected to conclude their admission processes on or before Oct. 31, 2026, while private universities have until Nov. 30, 2026, to complete admissions.

Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education are to finalise their admissions by Dec. 31, 2026.

Speaking at the meeting, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, directed all institutions to strictly comply with the approved admission timelines.

Oloyede warned that any institution that failed to conclude its admission process before the deadline would lose access to candidates for the 2026 admission exercise.

He also announced that candidates offered admission must accept the offer within four weeks, noting that failure to do so would lead to withdrawal of the admission.

According to him, affected candidates may also lose the opportunity for further admission consideration for the session.

The registrar said the measures were introduced to promote fairness, transparency and timely completion of admissions into tertiary institutions nationwide.