It’s official: to gain admission into any Nigerian university for the 2025/2026 academic year, you’ll need a minimum JAMB score of 150. That’s the decision reached during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
JAMB made the announcement public via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, alongside cut-off marks for other institutions: 140 for colleges of nursing, and 100 for polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture.
“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” the board stated.
The policy meeting, which is typically attended by heads of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, sets the tone for the entire admission process nationwide.
But as expected, the announcement has stirred mixed reactions—especially from students, parents, and educational stakeholders. Some are relieved that the cut-off isn’t higher than expected, while others believe a 150 score might still lock out too many students from university admission, especially given the performance trends in recent UTME results.
For prospective students, the countdown to admission just got real.
Universities are now expected to begin releasing their post-UTME schedules and admission requirements in line with this national guideline. However, it’s important to note that some institutions may choose to set higher cut-offs based on competitiveness, especially for popular courses like medicine, law, engineering, and mass communication.
As the academic journey kicks off for the 2025 batch, one thing is clear—the competition for slots, even with a 150 benchmark, is only just beginning.
