JAMB Sets 150 UTME Cut-Off for Universities as Nigeria Retains 16-Year Admission Age Rule

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and heads of tertiary institutions across Nigeria have settled on 150 as the minimum UTME score required for university admission in the 2026 academic session.

The decision was reached on Monday at the 2026 annual policy meeting on tertiary institution admissions held in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed entry requirements across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The approved benchmarks, formally referred to as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores, prohibit any institution from admitting candidates who score below the stipulated cut-off marks. However, individual institutions retain the freedom to set higher entry requirements if they choose to do so.

According to JAMB, the heads of tertiary institutions unanimously agreed that the minimum admissible scores should be 150 for universities and colleges of nursing, and 100 for polytechnics.

This means that while universities and colleges of nursing will now operate with 150 as their baseline score, polytechnics and colleges of education remain at 100, consistent with the previous year's standard. The resolution was arrived at following extensive deliberations and a voting process involving vice-chancellors and other institutional leaders.

In a related development at the same meeting, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that the federal government has retained 16 years as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions nationwide.