Kwara State University (KWASU) is a state-owned university located in Malete, Kwara State. Founded in 2009, it admits candidates through the JAMB UTME and a post-UTME screening, with separate fee bands for indigenes and non-indigenes.
KWASU's general cut-off mark for 2026/2027 is 170, with course-specific cut-offs ranging from 204 (Agricultural Science) to 269 (Medicine and Surgery). Located in Malete, Kwara, Kwara State University is a state university with 9 faculties and was founded in 2009.
What changed in the 2026 cycle
For the 2026 cycle, Kwara 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 (269), Law (251) and Nursing Science (248). Medicine and Surgery sits at the ceiling for KWASU, with candidates scoring below 269 effectively shut out of that programme. On the other end, Agricultural Science (204), Physics (208) and Chemistry (210) remain the most reachable options.
Against 2025, the average rose by 5.3 points, consistent with the stronger pool of high-scoring candidates JAMB recorded nationally.
2026 cut off marks at KWASU
| Course | Category | 2026 UTME | 2025 UTME | Change | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Management | 230 | 223 | +7 | 70.8 |
| Agricultural Science | Sciences | 204 | 201 | +3 | 67.5 |
| Biochemistry | Sciences | 224 | 218 | +6 | 70.0 |
| Chemistry | Sciences | 210 | 206 | +4 | 68.3 |
| Civil Engineering | Engineering | 231 | 226 | +5 | 70.9 |
| Computer Science | Sciences | 223 | 216 | +7 | 69.9 |
| Economics | Social Sciences | 232 | 227 | +5 | 71.0 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Engineering | 239 | 233 | +6 | 71.9 |
| English Language | Arts | 219 | 214 | +5 | 69.4 |
| International Relations | Social Sciences | 227 | 222 | +5 | 70.4 |
| Law | Law | 251 | 245 | +6 | 73.4 |
| Mass Communication | Arts | 234 | 228 | +6 | 71.3 |
| Mathematics | Sciences | 211 | 204 | +7 | 68.4 |
| Medicine and Surgery | Medical and Health | 269 | 264 | +5 | 75.6 |
| Microbiology | Sciences | 224 | 219 | +5 | 70.0 |
| Nursing Science | Medical and Health | 248 | 241 | +7 | 73.0 |
| Physics | Sciences | 208 | 205 | +3 | 68.0 |
| Political Science | Social Sciences | 227 | 220 | +7 | 70.4 |
| Public Administration | Social Sciences | 221 | 218 | +3 | 69.6 |
| Statistics | Sciences | 217 | 213 | +4 | 69.1 |
Faculties and academic structure
KWASU runs 9 faculties and colleges between which its undergraduate programmes are spread, offering a broad set of faculties covering most major disciplines.
Candidates apply to a specific department within a faculty rather than to the university at large. The faculty handles registration, level coordination and final-year clearance, while the department supervises the curriculum.
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 KWASU
UTME requirements. Every applicant to KWASU 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 269 this cycle. UTME subject combinations must match the chosen programme.
Post-UTME screening. KWASU runs a post-UTME or screening exercise for candidates who meet the institutional and course-specific cut-offs. The screening combines UTME, post-UTME and O'level grades into an aggregate that determines who is admitted from the eligible pool. Registration usually opens once JAMB releases UTME results and runs for a fixed window of two to three weeks.
The CAPS process. Once aggregates are calculated, KWASU 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 KWASU portal. Missing this deadline forfeits the place. Acceptance and full session fees are billed separately, and state institutions like KWASU have distinct fee structures that you should confirm on the official portal.
Matriculation and resumption. The academic year at KWASU 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
Students at KWASU have access to the standard set of Nigerian university facilities, plus institution-specific infrastructure tied to its strongest faculties.
KWASU'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 KWASU 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
KWASU 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 KWASU 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 KWASU 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
KWASU 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 KWASU 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. KWASU 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
KWASU operates from Malete in Kwara State. Ilorin sits on a major north-south road junction in the middle belt. The institution traces its founding to 2009.
KWASU is organised into faculties or colleges that house related departments. The faculty structure is the route an undergraduate progresses through, and each faculty has its own administrative office to handle course registration, level coordination and graduation clearance.
Students at KWASU 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 Malete ranges widely. Prospective candidates should investigate accommodation options as early as the acceptance fee stage.
Location and getting there
- 5-8 hours from Lagos and 2-5 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.
Kwara State University is located in Malete, Kwara State, in the North-Central geopolitical zone of 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
The 2026 admission window roughly follows the pattern below at KWASU. Treat these as planning ranges; the institution's official portal publishes the exact dates as the cycle progresses.
- JAMB UTMEApril to May 2026National examination window for the 2026 admission cycle.
- Post-UTME / screeningLate July to mid-August 2026KWASU 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 KWASU compares to similar universities
Among state universities of similar size and region, KWASU's 2026 average cut-off of 227.5 sits between AAUA (average 227.5) and ABSU (average 227.9). This places KWASU in the mid-tier of universities for the 2026 cycle.
Across the 20 programmes covered, KWASU maps to 20/146 of the courses tracked in this guide. Candidates choosing between KWASU 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
Can I use a JAMB score from a previous year for KWASU?
No. A JAMB UTME result is valid only for the admission cycle in which it was sat, so a 2026 application to KWASU needs a 2026 UTME score. Candidates who were not admitted in an earlier cycle must re-register and re-sit the UTME for the new cycle. KWASU's cut-off applies to the current year's score, not a carried-over one.
Does KWASU 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 KWASU'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 apply to KWASU for the 2026 cycle?
Applying to KWASU starts with registering for the JAMB UTME, selecting KWASU as a choice institution and your desired course as the first option. Once UTME results are released, candidates who meet the cut-off register for KWASU's post-UTME or screening through the official portal. Admission offers appear on CAPS, where candidates accept and proceed to acceptance fee payment.
What is KWASU known for academically?
Within this guide, KWASU's strongest-demand programmes are Medicine and Surgery, Law and Nursing Science, which carry its highest cut-off marks for 2026. High cut-offs reflect candidate demand rather than an official ranking, but they are a reasonable signal of where KWASU draws its most competitive applicants.
When do I pay the KWASU 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 KWASU 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.
How much is the acceptance fee at KWASU?
KWASU's acceptance fee for the 2026 cycle is announced on the official portal once admission offers go out. State universities like KWASU usually run separate acceptance fee bands for indigenes and non-indigenes.
Does KWASU admit Direct Entry candidates?
KWASU, like most Nigerian universities, generally admits Direct Entry candidates — those entering the second year with an A-level, ND, NCE or first degree — alongside UTME candidates. Direct Entry applicants register through JAMB's separate DE application, not the UTME. Course availability and required qualifications differ by programme, so confirm DE eligibility for your course on the official KWASU portal.
Which courses are easiest to get into at KWASU?
The most accessible programmes at KWASU for 2026 are Agricultural Science (204), Physics (208) and Chemistry (210), which carry the institution's lowest cut-off marks. They are a realistic target for candidates whose UTME score clears the general cut-off of 170 but falls short of competitive courses such as Medicine and Surgery.
Does KWASU have a teaching hospital?
Yes. Kwara 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.
What is KWASU most competitive course?
Medicine and Surgery carries the highest 2026 cut-off at KWASU at 269. 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.
What documents do I need for KWASU screening?
For post-UTME or screening at KWASU, candidates typically present the JAMB UTME result slip, the JAMB admission letter once issued, O'level result(s), a birth certificate or age declaration, recent passport photographs and a means of identification. Some faculties also ask for a state-of-origin or local-government certificate. Confirm the exact checklist on the official KWASU portal before screening day.
How much are school fees at KWASU?
KWASU session fees sit broadly in the ₦80,000 - ₦400,000 per session band as of the 2026 cycle, with medical and engineering programmes at the upper end. Indigenes pay the lower band, non-indigenes the upper band. Confirm exact figures on the official KWASU bursary page.