This page walks through how the 2026 cut-off system works, what the national minimum of 150 actually means, and how to read course-specific cut-offs at 50 universities across 146 popular courses.
National minimum: 150
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board retained 150 as the national minimum admissible score for degree-awarding universities in the 2026 cycle. The figure is a floor for eligibility, not a pass mark and not a guarantee of admission. Polytechnics and colleges of education sit at lower national minimums under the same policy.
Institutional general cut-off
Each university sets its own general cut-off above the national minimum. This figure is the lowest score at which the institution will consider any candidate, across all faculties. Highly competitive universities such as UNILAG and UI sit around the 200 mark for their general floor.
Course-specific cut-off
The number that actually decides your fate is the course cut-off. Medicine at UNILAG sits at 295 for 2026; Mass Communication at UNICAL sits lower. Course cut-offs are set yearly and rise when more high-scoring candidates choose the programme as a first choice.
Post-UTME screening
Meeting the course cut-off earns you a place in the post-UTME screening. Institutions then combine your UTME, post-UTME score and O'level grades into an aggregate, usually on a 100-point scale, and admit candidates from the top down until places are filled.
Course averages, 2026
| Course | Lowest | Average | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | 268 | 278 | 295 |
| Law | 248 | 259 | 277 |
| Pharmacy | 249 | 258 | 275 |
| Nursing Science | 245 | 255 | 270 |
| Architecture | 238 | 245 | 261 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 233 | 241 | 260 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 233 | 240 | 258 |
| Civil Engineering | 229 | 238 | 257 |
| Mass Communication | 226 | 237 | 259 |
| International Relations | 223 | 235 | 252 |
| Economics | 220 | 234 | 254 |
| Biotechnology | 224 | 232 | 246 |
| Accounting | 218 | 231 | 252 |
| Political Science | 216 | 228 | 245 |
| Microbiology | 219 | 228 | 248 |
| Estate Management | 218 | 228 | 242 |
| Computer Science | 214 | 228 | 247 |
| Biochemistry | 217 | 226 | 246 |
| Public Administration | 210 | 224 | 243 |
| English Language | 211 | 223 | 242 |
| Statistics | 212 | 221 | 239 |
| Mathematics | 205 | 216 | 235 |
| Physics | 204 | 214 | 233 |
| Chemistry | 201 | 213 | 232 |
| Agricultural Science | 197 | 205 | 224 |
Common questions
What is the JAMB cut-off mark for 2026?
The national minimum admissible score for universities is 150 for the 2026 cycle. This is the floor below which no university may admit a candidate. It is not the score that guarantees admission to any specific course.
Is 200 a good JAMB score in 2026?
200 clears the national minimum and many institutional general cut-offs, but it falls short for the most competitive courses such as Medicine, Law and Pharmacy at the leading federal universities. It is workable for many arts, management and social science courses.
What is the difference between national, institutional and course cut-offs?
The national minimum is set by JAMB and applies across all universities. The institutional general cut-off is the floor a university sets for any of its courses. The course cut-off is the specific mark for a single programme and is usually the highest of the three for competitive courses.
Does scoring above the cut-off guarantee admission?
No. Meeting the cut-off makes you eligible for screening. Final admission depends on your post-UTME or screening score, your O'level results and the number of available places in that course.