The University of Jos is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, established in 1971 and operating as a fully autonomous institution since 1975. It is one of the major federal universities of the middle belt, with strong medical, science and arts faculties and around 30,000 students.
UNIJOS's general cut-off mark for 2026/2027 is 180, with course-specific cut-offs ranging from 180 (Agricultural Science) to 280 (Dentistry). Located in Jos, Plateau, University of Jos is a federal university with 0 faculties and was founded in 1971.
What changed in the 2026 cycle
The 2026 admission cycle saw UNIJOS field cut-off marks across 28 programmes, with an average of 209.6 UTME points.
The institution's most competitive programmes are Dentistry (280), Medicine and Surgery (280) and Pharmacy (250). Dentistry sits at the ceiling for UNIJOS, with candidates scoring below 280 effectively shut out of that programme. On the other end, Public Administration (180), Physics (180) and Mathematics (180) stand out as the most accessible routes in.
Against 2025, the average moved up by 209.6 points, consistent with the stronger pool of high-scoring candidates JAMB recorded nationally.
2026 cut off marks at UNIJOS
| Course | Category | 2026 UTME | 2025 UTME | Change | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Management | 210 | - | 0 | - |
| Agricultural Science | Sciences | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Architecture | Sciences | 210 | - | 0 | - |
| Biochemistry | Sciences | 200 | - | 0 | - |
| Biotechnology | Sciences | 190 | - | 0 | - |
| Chemistry | Sciences | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Civil Engineering | Engineering | 220 | - | 0 | - |
| Computer Science | Sciences | 210 | - | 0 | - |
| Dentistry | Medical and Health | 280 | - | 0 | - |
| Economics | Social Sciences | 200 | - | 0 | - |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Engineering | 220 | - | 0 | - |
| English Language | Arts | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Estate Management | Management | 190 | - | 0 | - |
| International Relations | Social Sciences | 200 | - | 0 | - |
| Law | Law | 240 | - | 0 | - |
| Mass Communication | Arts | 200 | - | 0 | - |
| Mathematics | Sciences | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Mechanical Engineering | Engineering | 220 | - | 0 | - |
| Medical Laboratory Science | Medical and Health | 230 | - | 0 | - |
| Medicine and Surgery | Medical and Health | 280 | - | 0 | - |
| Microbiology | Sciences | 200 | - | 0 | - |
| Nursing Science | Medical and Health | 240 | - | 0 | - |
| Pharmacy | Medical and Health | 250 | - | 0 | - |
| Physics | Sciences | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Physiotherapy | Medical and Health | 220 | - | 0 | - |
| Political Science | Social Sciences | 190 | - | 0 | - |
| Public Administration | Social Sciences | 180 | - | 0 | - |
| Statistics | Sciences | 190 | - | 0 | - |
Faculties and academic structure
University of Jos organises its undergraduate programmes across 0 faculties and colleges, with a focused academic structure built around its strongest disciplines.
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.
How admission works at UNIJOS
UTME requirements. Candidates must clear the JAMB national minimum of 150 and the UNIJOS institutional cut-off of 180 to be considered for any programme. Each course then sets its own threshold above the general cut-off, with competitive programmes such as Dentistry demanding 280 or higher. Candidates must also sit the correct UTME subject combination for their chosen course; a mismatch leads to disqualification regardless of how strong the score is.
Post-UTME screening. UNIJOS 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. Admission decisions are communicated through the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System rather than direct contact with candidates. UNIJOS pushes recommended candidates to CAPS, where each candidate logs in to accept or reject the offer. Multiple admission lists are usually released through the cycle, so candidates who are not on the first list should keep checking.
Acceptance and admission fees. After accepting on CAPS, the candidate has approximately four weeks to settle the acceptance fee through the UNIJOS portal. Missing this deadline forfeits the place. Acceptance and full session fees are billed separately, and federal institutions like UNIJOS have distinct fee structures that you should confirm on the official portal.
Matriculation and resumption. Fresh intakes at UNIJOS typically resume between late September and mid-October for the academic session, with matriculation ceremonies held a few weeks after resumption. Course registration, hostel allocation where applicable, and faculty orientation all happen in the opening weeks. Candidates should plan to be on campus from the published resumption date to avoid late registration penalties.
Campus facilities
Students at UNIJOS have access to the standard set of Nigerian university facilities, plus institution-specific infrastructure tied to its strongest faculties.
UNIJOS'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
Accommodation is one of the most-asked questions about UNIJOS, and the honest answer is that it sits across three layers: on-campus hostels, off-campus lodges and short-stay options for visiting families.
On-campus housing
UNIJOS 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 UNIJOS 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 around UNIJOS vary widely with the specific lodge and the year it was last renovated. Visiting in person before paying a deposit is the standard precaution, since power, water and security all vary street by street.
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
Tuition and session fees at UNIJOS, a federal university, sit broadly in the ₦0 - ₦0 per session band as of the 2026 cycle. The exact figure depends on the programme, with medical and engineering courses at the upper end and arts and education programmes at the lower.
Additional one-off costs
Beyond the headline session fee, fresh-intake students typically pay an acceptance fee, 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. UNIJOS 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
University of Jos sits in Jos, Plateau State. The institution serves Plateau State and the surrounding region as the principal university option. Founded in 1971, the institution has matured into a recognised federal university serving its catchment region and drawing candidates from across the country.
Like most Nigerian universities, UNIJOS 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 UNIJOS 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 Jos 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.
UNIJOS's main campus is in Jos, Plateau State, in North-Central 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 UNIJOS 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 2026UNIJOS 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 UNIJOS compares to similar universities
Among federal universities of similar size and region, UNIJOS's 2026 average cut-off of 209.6 sits between UNIMAID (average 206.7) and UNIUYO (average 210). This places UNIJOS in the accessible tier of universities for the 2026 cycle.
Across the 28 programmes covered, UNIJOS maps to 28/146 of the courses tracked in this guide. Candidates choosing between UNIJOS 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
What JAMB UTME score do I need for UNIJOS?
To be considered for any programme at UNIJOS you need at least the institutional cut-off of 180, but a realistic target is higher: competitive courses such as Dentistry require 280 or above for 2026. Aim well clear of the general cut-off, because admission is ranked on the post-UTME aggregate, not the UTME score alone.
What is UNIJOS's cut-off mark for 2026?
UNIJOS's general institutional cut-off for 2026 is 180, with course-specific cut-offs ranging from 180 for Public Administration to 280 for Dentistry. The figure that decides admission is always the course-specific cut-off, not the institutional general cut-off.
What happens after I accept a UNIJOS admission offer?
Once you accept a UNIJOS offer on CAPS, the next steps are paying the acceptance fee within the published window, paying or part-paying the session fees, completing online course registration and attending physical clearance with your original documents. UNIJOS then issues a matriculation number. Missing the acceptance-fee deadline can forfeit the place, so treat acceptance as the start of a fixed sequence, not the end of the process.
Does UNIJOS admit candidates from outside its state or region?
Yes. UNIJOS admits candidates nationwide; as a federal university it draws students from every state, with admission balanced across merit, catchment area and educationally-less-developed-state quotas. Your state of origin does not bar you from applying.
What is UNIJOS known for academically?
Within this guide, UNIJOS's strongest-demand programmes are Dentistry, Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacy, 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 UNIJOS draws its most competitive applicants.
When do I pay the UNIJOS 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 UNIJOS 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.
What extra costs should I budget for at UNIJOS?
Beyond the acceptance fee and session fees, fresh UNIJOS students usually meet one-off first-year costs: matriculation, student ID, faculty and departmental dues, medical screening and course materials. Accommodation, where available, is billed separately. Confirm current figures on the official UNIJOS bursary page.
Does UNIJOS admit Direct Entry candidates?
UNIJOS, 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 UNIJOS portal.
Does UNIJOS have a teaching hospital?
Yes. University of Jos 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.
Does UNIJOS run a foundation or pre-degree programme?
Many Nigerian universities run a foundation, pre-degree or JUPEB programme that offers a route into 100 or 200 level, and UNIJOS may operate one depending on the cycle. These programmes are separate from the UTME route and have their own application and fees. If your UTME score falls short of the cut-off, check the official UNIJOS site for a current pre-degree or foundation intake before settling for a deferral.
What is UNIJOS most competitive course?
Dentistry carries the highest 2026 cut-off at UNIJOS at 280. 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 faculties does UNIJOS have?
UNIJOS runs 0 faculties and colleges, including and others. Candidates apply to a specific department within a faculty, and the department sets the course-specific cut-off, screening process and graduation requirements.