2026 Official JAMB Cut-Off Marks for All Nigerian Universities

The long wait is over. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board held its 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions in Abuja and fixed 150 as the official minimum baseline for university admissions. If you scored up to 150, you have cleared the first hurdle, but this does not mean automatic admission into any course or school.

Every federal, state, and private university uses this 150 benchmark to set their own institutional cut-off marks. Highly competitive schools always push their limits much higher than the national minimum.

What the 150 National Minimum Means for Your Admission Status

This national benchmark means that no university in Nigeria is allowed to admit any student who scored below 150 in the 2026 UTME. If you scored 149, you cannot gain admission into a regular degree program through JAMB this year unless you opt for a change of institution to a polytechnic or college of education.

However, reaching 150 only qualifies you to buy the Post-UTME screening form of schools that accept the bare minimum.

Real Institutional Benchmarks for Competitive Public Universities

You must understand that top-tier institutions receive more applications than their total carrying capacity. For instance, Lagos State University topped the application chart this year with over 84,000 first-choice candidates. The University of Lagos followed closely with over 78,000 applicants. Because of this massive crowd, these schools do not accept 150 for competitive courses.

University of Lagos (UNILAG): Maintains a strict institutional baseline of 200. If you scored below 200, you cannot participate in the UNILAG screening process.

Lagos State University (LASU): Sets its general baseline at 190, but specific professional courses require much higher scores.

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU): Operates with a minimum cut-off mark of 200 for all degree programs.

University of Ibadan (UI): Requires a minimum of 200 to qualify for the post-UTME screening exercise.

Score Requirements for Professional Courses in 2026

If your dream is to study a highly competitive course, the general 150 benchmark does not apply to you. Data from the recent policy meeting shows that professional courses are packed with applicants. If you want to study Medicine and Surgery, Law, Pharmacy, Accounting, or Economics, you need a high UTME score to survive the departmental screening.

For Medicine and Surgery, competitive federal universities use an aggregate system where your UTME score must ideally sit above 280 to give you a fighting chance. Law and Pharmacy candidates should aim for scores above 250. If you scored between 150 and 200, your best strategy is to look at less competitive courses or state universities with lower departmental demands.

Action Steps if Your Score Is Below Your School Target

Do not panic if your score falls short of what UNILAG, LASU, or OAU requires. You can immediately access your JAMB profile and apply for a change of institution. Look for federal or state universities in less populated regions, or institutions that accept 150 to 170 for your desired course. This prevents you from wasting the admission year on a school that will never screen your application.