The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially set the minimum admissible scores for the 2026 admission cycle, establishing 150 as the cut-off mark for universities and colleges of nursing, while polytechnics and monotechnics will have a cut-off of 100.
This decision was made after thorough deliberations at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions, held on May 11, 2026, in Abuja. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
Dr. Alausa emphasized that these cut-off marks are the minimum standards for admission and must be adhered to by all institutions. He stressed the importance of candidates meeting these thresholds for eligibility.
In addition to the cut-off marks, stakeholders at the meeting also established deadlines for completing the 2026 admission process across various institutions. Public universities must conclude admissions by October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026, to finalize their admissions. Polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education are expected to complete their admission processes by December 31, 2026.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, directed all institutions to ensure they complete their admissions strictly within these approved timelines. He further warned that any institution failing to conclude its admission process by the set deadline will lose access to candidates for that session.
Additionally, Oloyede announced that successful candidates must accept their admission offers within four weeks of receiving them. Any candidate who does not accept their offer within this period will have their admission withdrawn and may become ineligible for further consideration in that admission cycle.
The registrar stated that these measures aim to ensure fairness, transparency, and the timely completion of the admission process across all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
