Confirm Your 2026/2027 Admission Eligibility With the Official JAMB National Minimum Cut off Marks for All Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics

Aspiring tertiary students can now move forward with their academic plans as the *Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)* has officially set the National Minimum Admissible Scores for the 2026/2027 session. Following the National Policy Meeting held in Abuja on *Monday, May 11, 2026*, stakeholders ratified the new benchmarks that will govern entry into all Nigerian tertiary institutions.

2026 National Minimum Standards for Tertiary Institutions

The meeting established standardized minimum scores to ensure a unified and transparent selection process. While these represent the absolute minimum, candidates are reminded that individual institutions especially federal universities often set higher internal benchmarks for competitive courses.

Institution Category | 2026 Minimum Admissible Score 

Universities (Federal, State, and Private) 150

Colleges of Nursing Sciences 150

Polytechnics and Monotechnics 100

Colleges of Education & Agriculture UTME No Longer Required

Key Policy Updates and Admission Deadlines

 Colleges of Education Waiver: Prospective students seeking admission into NCE programs no longer require a UTME score. They must instead possess at least four credits in their O’Level examinations to qualify for admission.

 Institutional Flexibility: Leading universities have already adopted higher thresholds. For example, Pan–Atlantic University set its benchmark at 220, while top schools like UNILAG, UI, UNIBEN, and OAU maintained a minimum of 200.

 Admission Timelines: Public universities must conclude their admission process by October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026.

 The Four-Week Rule: Successful candidates must accept their admission offers on the JAMB CAPS portal within four weeks of notification; failure to do so results in the automatic withdrawal of the admission.

Protect Your Admission Through Official Channels

JAMB reinforced that any admission conducted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) remains *illegal and illegitimate*. Candidates are urged to check their eligibility against their chosen school’s specific departmental requirements, as scoring exactly 150 may not be sufficient for competitive courses like Medicine, Law, or Engineering.