The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has kept the national minimum admissible score for universities at 150 for the 2026 cycle.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed that the national minimum admissible score for degree-awarding universities will remain at 150 for the 2026/27 admission cycle. The figure was agreed at the annual policy meeting that brings together JAMB, the National Universities Commission and the heads of tertiary institutions.
The national minimum is the floor below which no university may admit a candidate. It is not a pass mark and it is not the score that guarantees admission. Each institution sets its own departmental cut-off marks above the national figure, and the most competitive courses sit far higher than 150.
For polytechnics and colleges of education, separate national minimums were set, continuing the practice of lower floors for those institution types. The board reiterated that the minimum exists to define eligibility, not to rank candidates.
Officials at the meeting stressed a point that is often misunderstood by candidates and parents. A score of 150 makes a candidate eligible to be considered, but it does not place that candidate anywhere near contention for courses such as Medicine, Law, Pharmacy or Engineering at the leading federal universities. Those courses routinely require scores in the 230 to 300 range once institutional cut-offs and post-UTME screening are applied.
The board also repeated its warning against admission fraud. Candidates were advised to rely only on the Central Admissions Processing System and the official portals of the institutions they applied to, and to ignore agents who promise admission for a fee.
What this means for candidates
If you scored 150 or above, you are eligible to be considered for university admission, but eligibility is only the starting point. Look up the specific cut-off mark for the exact course and institution you want, because that number, not the national minimum, decides your real chances. Candidates aiming at competitive courses should treat any score below the course cut-off as a signal to consider a second choice institution, a less competitive but related course, or a change of institution type. Check your course pages on this guide to see where your score stands.
Paraphrased summary. This guide is independent and not affiliated with JAMB or any institution mentioned.
Frequently asked questions
What does this mean for 2026 JAMB candidates?
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has kept the national minimum admissible score for universities at 150 for the 2026 cycle. For candidates, the practical takeaway is to plan around the confirmed position rather than rumours, and to confirm any figure that affects your decisions on the official JAMB portal or the relevant institution's website before acting on it.
Is this jamb.guide update official?
No. jamb.guide is an independent guide and is not affiliated with JAMB or any institution. This article is a paraphrased summary of Policy meeting communique regarding cut-off marks. The official source named above is authoritative; jamb.guide presents it in candidate-friendly form.
Where can I confirm the latest on cut-off marks?
Confirm the current position on the official JAMB portal at jamb.gov.ng, through the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), and on the admissions portal of the specific institution you applied to. jamb.guide updates its pages through the cycle but the official channels remain the authoritative source.
How does this affect my admission chances?
Developments around cut-off marks shape the timeline and the competitive landscape rather than any individual application directly. The strongest response is to keep your CAPS profile monitored, meet every published deadline, prepare seriously for post-UTME, and have a realistic primary, secondary and fall-back choice. Use the cut-off and eligibility pages on this guide to plan around your actual score.