Ekiti State University (EKSU) is a state-owned university located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Founded in 1982, it admits candidates through the JAMB UTME and a post-UTME screening, with separate fee bands for indigenes and non-indigenes.
EKSU's general cut-off mark for 2026/2027 is 170, with course-specific cut-offs ranging from 200 (Agricultural Science) to 276 (Medicine and Surgery). Located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti, Ekiti State University is a state university with 10 faculties and was founded in 1982.
What changed in the 2026 cycle
For the 2026 cycle, Ekiti State University tightened its admission floor, with course-specific cut-off marks tracking the national trend.
The institution's most competitive programmes are Medicine and Surgery (276), Pharmacy (256) and Law (255). Medicine and Surgery sits at the ceiling for EKSU, with candidates scoring below 276 effectively shut out of that programme. On the other end, Agricultural Science (200), Chemistry (210) and Physics (213) remain the most reachable options.
Year-on-year, the institution's overall average climbed by 5.1 points, consistent with the national pattern of rising cut-offs at top federal universities.
2026 cut off marks at EKSU
| Course | Category | 2026 UTME | 2025 UTME | Change | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Management | 227 | 222 | +5 | 70.4 |
| Agricultural Science | Sciences | 200 | 194 | +6 | 67.0 |
| Biochemistry | Sciences | 223 | 220 | +3 | 69.9 |
| Chemistry | Sciences | 210 | 203 | +7 | 68.3 |
| Civil Engineering | Engineering | 235 | 231 | +4 | 71.4 |
| Computer Science | Sciences | 226 | 221 | +5 | 70.3 |
| Economics | Social Sciences | 232 | 226 | +6 | 71.0 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Engineering | 237 | 230 | +7 | 71.6 |
| English Language | Arts | 222 | 217 | +5 | 69.8 |
| International Relations | Social Sciences | 232 | 229 | +3 | 71.0 |
| Law | Law | 255 | 248 | +7 | 73.9 |
| Mass Communication | Arts | 237 | 233 | +4 | 71.6 |
| Mathematics | Sciences | 213 | 210 | +3 | 68.6 |
| Medicine and Surgery | Medical and Health | 276 | 272 | +4 | 76.5 |
| Microbiology | Sciences | 226 | 221 | +5 | 70.3 |
| Nursing Science | Medical and Health | 254 | 250 | +4 | 73.8 |
| Pharmacy | Medical and Health | 256 | 250 | +6 | 74.0 |
| Physics | Sciences | 213 | 207 | +6 | 68.6 |
| Political Science | Social Sciences | 226 | 221 | +5 | 70.3 |
| Public Administration | Social Sciences | 219 | 213 | +6 | 69.4 |
| Statistics | Sciences | 221 | 215 | +6 | 69.6 |
Faculties and academic structure
The academic structure at EKSU is split into 10 faculties and colleges, giving the institution a comprehensive academic portfolio that spans medicine, the sciences, the humanities and the professions.
Applications flow through individual departments inside each faculty. Each department sets its course-specific cut-off and screens its post-UTME pool, even when faculties share infrastructure.
The College of Medicine is the largest single unit by infrastructure footprint at most Nigerian universities that run it, with its own clinical postings, teaching hospital affiliation and admission requirements that sit above the institutional norm.
How admission works at EKSU
UTME requirements. Every applicant to EKSU must meet two UTME floors: the JAMB national minimum of 150 and the institution's own general cut-off of 170. The third floor, the course-specific cut-off, is the one that actually decides admission for competitive programmes, with Medicine and Surgery requiring 276 this cycle. UTME subject combinations must match the chosen programme.
Post-UTME screening. Candidates who clear the cut-off marks proceed to the institution's post-UTME, which combines a written screening test with documents verification. The screening result is folded into an aggregate score along with the UTME and O'level grades. Registration opens through the official portal once JAMB UTME results are released.
The CAPS process. Once aggregates are calculated, EKSU uploads admission recommendations to the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). Candidates check their CAPS profile to find offers, accept or reject within the deadline and proceed to acceptance fee payment. Admission lists usually drop in waves rather than all at once, so the absence of an offer on the first list does not end your chances.
Acceptance and admission fees. After accepting on CAPS, the candidate has approximately four weeks to settle the acceptance fee through the EKSU portal. Missing this deadline forfeits the place. Acceptance and full session fees are billed separately, and state institutions like EKSU have distinct fee structures that you should confirm on the official portal.
Matriculation and resumption. The academic year at EKSU usually opens in late September or early October, depending on the cycle. Registration runs through the first weeks of resumption, followed by matriculation. Late arrivals risk losing slots in oversubscribed courses or paying late-registration fines, so candidates should treat the resumption date as fixed.
Campus facilities
The campus facilities at EKSU cover the practical needs of a full undergraduate cycle: study spaces, sports, worship, ICT and basic health services.
EKSU's teaching hospital is the institution's most distinctive infrastructure, used for clinical postings by Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy students and for community medical service.
Student accommodation
Student accommodation at EKSU runs across three options that candidates and parents should plan for early: on-campus halls, off-campus lodges and short-stay places for visits.
On-campus housing
EKSU provides on-campus hostels but the capacity is limited compared to the annual intake. Allocation usually runs as a annual lottery, with fresh-year students given some priority for the first session.
On-campus hostel fees at federal and state universities like EKSU run in the ₦15,000 to ₦40,000 range per session, billed separately from tuition. Hostel quality varies across blocks, and students sometimes share rooms with two to six others depending on the building.
Demand for on-campus hostels at most Nigerian federal universities exceeds supply, so candidates should treat the application as competitive and arrive ready to look at off-campus options if the allocation does not come through.
Off-campus housing
Students who cannot secure on-campus accommodation typically rent off-campus around Nearby residential neighbourhoods around the campus. The Nigerian student term for this is a "lodge", which can mean anything from a shared self-contained room to a small apartment.
Off-campus session prices at EKSU typically range from ₦80,000 - ₦250,000, with self-contained rooms at the upper end and shared rooms in older lodges at the lower. Power supply, water reliability and security vary widely from one street to the next, so visiting in person before paying a deposit is the standard precaution.
Fresh-year students often share rooms or apartments with course-mates as a first-year strategy, with many moving to smaller-group or single accommodation in later years as friend groups settle and budgets allow.
For visiting parents
Visiting parents typically book hotels near the main campus gate. Federal university towns generally have a mix of basic and mid-range hotels at ₦15,000 to ₦40,000 per night, with higher options in the major cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
Travel apps such as Booking.com and Hotels.ng list current options and rates, which we deliberately do not republish here because they change frequently.
School fees and cost of attendance
EKSU as a state university runs distinct fee bands for indigenes and non-indigenes. Session fees range from ₦80,000 - ₦400,000 per session, with non-indigenes paying the upper end and state indigenes the lower. Verify the current figure on the EKSU bursary page each cycle.
Additional one-off costs
Beyond the headline session fee, fresh-intake students typically pay an acceptance fee in the ₦20,000 - ₦60,000 one-off range, an ID card and matriculation fee, faculty and departmental dues, and (for science and engineering programmes) laboratory or studio fees billed by the department.
Add a budget for course materials, transport, lodging deposit if going off-campus, and miscellaneous administrative payments through the first semester. Year-one costs are almost always the highest in a four-year cycle because so much of the spend is one-off.
Funding options
Eligible Nigerian undergraduates can apply to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides interest-free loans repayable after graduation and a grace period. EKSU also publishes its own scholarship schemes from time to time for high-performing intakes, and several state governments offer indigene-specific scholarships through the state scholarship board.
Watch the institution's scholarship page and your state's ministry of education portal during the admission window for current funding announcements - new schemes appear cycle to cycle.
About the campus
Located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, EKSU is one of the established state universities in the region. The institution serves Ekiti State and the surrounding region as the principal university option. It was founded in 1982 and has built a steady reputation for the programmes covered in this guide.
Like most Nigerian universities, EKSU groups its programmes into faculties or colleges, each with its own dean and academic structure. Candidates apply to a specific programme within a faculty rather than to the university at large, which is why the course-specific cut-off matters more than any single institutional figure.
Students at EKSU typically budget for accommodation, food, transport and academic materials as the four main categories. Accommodation is the biggest variable: hostel allocations are competitive and the off-campus market in Ado-Ekiti ranges widely. Prospective candidates should investigate accommodation options as early as the acceptance fee stage.
Location and getting there
- 1-4 hours from Lagos and 7-10 hours from Abuja by road
- Inter-state coach services such as ABC Transport, GUO and the Young Shall Grow Motors operate routes to most state capitals. Flights are available to Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and a handful of state airports.
EKSU's main campus is in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, in South-West Nigeria.
For inter-state travel, most students rely on a mix of buses and shared taxis, with occasional flights for the bigger inter-zone moves.
Application calendar
Concrete dates for the 2026 cycle are still being confirmed by individual institutions and JAMB. The windows below reflect typical patterns for EKSU and the federal cycle as a whole.
- JAMB UTMEApril to May 2026National examination window for the 2026 admission cycle.
- Post-UTME / screeningLate July to mid-August 2026EKSU announces its exact dates after JAMB UTME results are released.
- First CAPS admission listAugust to September 2026Initial admission recommendations appear on CAPS after screening.
- Acceptance fee deadline4 weeks from offerConfirmed window for the 2026 cycle. Missing it forfeits the place.
- Resumption for fresh intakeLate September to mid-October 2026Matriculation follows resumption by a few weeks.
How EKSU compares to similar universities
Among state universities of similar size and region, EKSU's 2026 average cut-off of 230.5 sits between IMSU (average 230.2) and DELSU (average 231). This places EKSU in the mid-tier of universities for the 2026 cycle.
Across the 21 programmes covered, EKSU maps to 21/146 of the courses tracked in this guide. Candidates choosing between EKSU and a peer institution should compare the specific course cut-off, not just the institutional average, because course-level differences often outweigh institution-level ones.
Frequently asked questions
Has EKSU's cut-off gone up or down since 2025?
Compared with 2025, EKSU's average cut-off rose by about 5.1 points, moving from 225.4 to 230.5. A rising average usually reflects a stronger pool of high-scoring candidates. Course-level figures still move independently of the institutional average.
Does EKSU use the JAMB national cut-off or its own cut-off?
Both apply. Every candidate must first clear the JAMB national minimum of 150, then EKSU's own institutional cut-off of 170, and finally the course-specific cut-off, which is set above the general figure for competitive programmes. The course-specific cut-off is the one that actually decides admission, so meeting the national minimum alone is not enough.
How do I check my EKSU admission status on CAPS?
EKSU communicates admission through the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), not by direct contact. Log in to your JAMB profile, open CAPS and check for an admission offer; if one is listed you accept or reject it there. EKSU releases admission in waves, so not appearing on the first list does not end your chances — keep checking through the cycle.
Is EKSU a federal, state or private university?
EKSU is a state university located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. As a state university, it is owned by the state government and runs separate fee bands for indigenes and non-indigenes.
When do I pay the EKSU acceptance fee?
Once you accept an admission offer on CAPS, you have a limited window — about four weeks for the 2026 cycle — to pay the EKSU acceptance fee through the official portal. If the deadline lapses, the place can revert to the next candidate on the list. Pay promptly after accepting and keep the receipt for registration.
Does EKSU offer scholarships or financial support?
Scholarship availability at EKSU changes from year to year and should not be assumed. State universities like EKSU often run state-government bursaries for indigenes, alongside NELFUND student loans and occasional merit awards. Check the official EKSU site for current scholarship calls.
What aggregate score does EKSU use to decide admission?
EKSU ranks candidates on an aggregate that combines the UTME score with the post-UTME or screening result, and at many institutions O'level grades as well. The common approach is to scale the UTME to 50% and the post-UTME to 50%, but the exact weighting is set by EKSU each cycle. Admission goes to the highest aggregates within the available places, so a strong UTME score alone does not guarantee a place.
Does EKSU require a specific UTME subject combination?
Yes. The UTME subject combination is fixed by JAMB for each course and applies at EKSU the same as elsewhere — every candidate sits English plus three subjects relevant to the chosen programme. Choosing the wrong combination at JAMB registration effectively disqualifies you before screening, so confirm the correct four subjects for your course before registering.
Does EKSU have a teaching hospital?
Yes. Ekiti State University runs an affiliated teaching hospital used for clinical postings by Medicine, Nursing and allied-health students, and for community medical service. The teaching hospital is the largest single piece of infrastructure at the institution and a core part of its medical-school accreditation.
Where is EKSU located and how do I get there?
EKSU's main campus is in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Travel by road from major cities runs 1-4 hours from lagos and 7-10 hours from abuja by road. Inter-state buses and shared taxis operate to most state capitals; flights serve Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and several state airports.
Does EKSU have hostels for students?
EKSU has on-campus hostels but the capacity is limited relative to the annual intake. Allocation runs as a lottery with priority for fresh-year students; unallocated candidates rent off-campus.
What is EKSU most competitive course?
Medicine and Surgery carries the highest 2026 cut-off at EKSU at 276. It sits at the competitive ceiling for the institution; candidates scoring below that mark are effectively shut out of the programme and should plan a realistic second choice.