University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is a federal university located in Ilorin, Kwara State. Founded in 1975, it is one of Nigeria's established public institutions and admits candidates through the JAMB UTME and its own post-UTME screening.
UNILORIN's general cut-off mark for 2026/2027 is 180, with course-specific cut-offs ranging from 210 (Agricultural Science) to 274 (Medicine and Surgery). Located in Ilorin, Kwara, University of Ilorin is a federal university with 10 faculties and was founded in 1975.
What changed in the 2026 cycle
University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) published cut-off marks for 22 undergraduate programmes for the 2026 admission round.
The institution's most competitive programmes are Medicine and Surgery (274), Law (261) and Nursing Science (258). Medicine and Surgery sits at the ceiling for UNILORIN, with candidates scoring below 274 effectively shut out of that programme. On the other end, Agricultural Science (210), Physics (215) and Chemistry (218) remain the most reachable options.
Against 2025, the average moved up by 5 points, consistent with the stronger pool of high-scoring candidates JAMB recorded nationally.
2026 cut off marks at UNILORIN
| Course | Category | 2026 UTME | 2025 UTME | Change | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Management | 230 | 223 | +7 | 70.8 |
| Agricultural Science | Sciences | 210 | 203 | +7 | 68.3 |
| Biochemistry | Sciences | 229 | 224 | +5 | 70.6 |
| Biotechnology | Sciences | 232 | 227 | +5 | 71.0 |
| Chemistry | Sciences | 218 | 212 | +6 | 69.3 |
| Civil Engineering | Engineering | 236 | 232 | +4 | 71.5 |
| Computer Science | Sciences | 226 | 219 | +7 | 70.3 |
| Economics | Social Sciences | 238 | 235 | +3 | 71.8 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Engineering | 240 | 234 | +6 | 72.0 |
| English Language | Arts | 227 | 221 | +6 | 70.4 |
| Estate Management | Management | 229 | 226 | +3 | 70.6 |
| International Relations | Social Sciences | 232 | 226 | +6 | 71.0 |
| Law | Law | 261 | 256 | +5 | 74.6 |
| Mass Communication | Arts | 240 | 233 | +7 | 72.0 |
| Mathematics | Sciences | 220 | 217 | +3 | 69.5 |
| Medicine and Surgery | Medical and Health | 274 | 269 | +5 | 76.3 |
| Microbiology | Sciences | 229 | 226 | +3 | 70.6 |
| Nursing Science | Medical and Health | 258 | 253 | +5 | 74.3 |
| Physics | Sciences | 215 | 210 | +5 | 68.9 |
| Political Science | Social Sciences | 228 | 225 | +3 | 70.5 |
| Public Administration | Social Sciences | 227 | 220 | +7 | 70.4 |
| Statistics | Sciences | 225 | 222 | +3 | 70.1 |
Faculties and academic structure
University of Ilorin organises its undergraduate programmes across 10 faculties and colleges, with a comprehensive academic portfolio that spans medicine, the sciences, the humanities and the professions.
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 UNILORIN
UTME requirements. Every applicant to UNILORIN must meet two UTME floors: the JAMB national minimum of 150 and the institution's own general cut-off of 180. The third floor, the course-specific cut-off, is the one that actually decides admission for competitive programmes, with Medicine and Surgery requiring 274 this cycle. UTME subject combinations must match the chosen programme.
Post-UTME screening. UNILORIN 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. UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN portal. Missing this deadline forfeits the place. Acceptance and full session fees are billed separately, and federal institutions like UNILORIN have distinct fee structures that you should confirm on the official portal.
Matriculation and resumption. Fresh intakes at UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN have access to the standard set of Nigerian university facilities, plus institution-specific infrastructure tied to its strongest faculties.
UNILORIN'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 UNILORIN, 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
UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN 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.
Because hostel demand exceeds supply at most federal universities, many students treat the application as a backup plan rather than the default option, with off-campus arrangements organised in parallel.
Off-campus housing
Students who cannot secure on-campus accommodation typically rent off-campus around Tanke, Ilorin. 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 UNILORIN 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
Tuition and session fees at UNILORIN, a federal university, sit broadly in the ₦40,000 - ₦200,000 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 in the ₦15,000 - ₦50,000 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. UNILORIN 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 Ilorin sits in Ilorin, Kwara State. Ilorin sits on a major north-south road junction in the middle belt. Founded in 1975, the institution has matured into a recognised federal university serving its catchment region and drawing candidates from across the country.
UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN 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 Ilorin 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.
UNILORIN's main campus is in Ilorin, Kwara 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
The 2026 admission window roughly follows the pattern below at UNILORIN. 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 2026UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN compares to similar universities
Among federal universities of similar size and region, UNILORIN's 2026 average cut-off of 232.9 sits between NDA (average 232.9) and FUTO (average 233.3). This places UNILORIN in the mid-tier of universities for the 2026 cycle.
Across the 22 programmes covered, UNILORIN maps to 22/146 of the courses tracked in this guide. Candidates choosing between UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN's cut-off gone up or down since 2025?
Compared with 2025, UNILORIN's average cut-off rose by about 5 points, moving from 227.9 to 232.9. A rising average usually reflects a stronger pool of high-scoring candidates. Course-level figures still move independently of the institutional average.
What JAMB UTME score do I need for UNILORIN?
To be considered for any programme at UNILORIN you need at least the institutional cut-off of 180, but a realistic target is higher: competitive courses such as Medicine and Surgery require 274 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 happens after I accept a UNILORIN admission offer?
Once you accept a UNILORIN 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. UNILORIN 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.
What courses does UNILORIN offer?
UNILORIN runs 22 of the 146 undergraduate programmes tracked in this guide, including Medicine and Surgery and Law and Agricultural Science. The institution's full programme list also includes diploma, postgraduate and certificate programmes not covered here.
When do I pay the UNILORIN 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 UNILORIN 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 do I pay UNILORIN fees once admitted?
UNILORIN fee payments are made through the official institution portal, usually via a Remita or bank-integrated payment that generates a receipt for course registration. Avoid paying any fee through unofficial agents or third parties. The portal also confirms which charges are due at each stage, so rely on it rather than informal information.
What O'level credits does UNILORIN require?
The baseline O'level requirement at UNILORIN, as at Nigerian universities generally, is five credit passes at no more than two sittings, including English Language and usually Mathematics. The specific subjects depend on the course — science programmes require science credits, arts and social-science programmes their own subject sets. Confirm the exact combination for your course before registering.
Which courses are easiest to get into at UNILORIN?
The most accessible programmes at UNILORIN for 2026 are Agricultural Science (210), Physics (215) and Chemistry (218), 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 180 but falls short of competitive courses such as Medicine and Surgery.
Does UNILORIN have a teaching hospital?
Yes. University of Ilorin 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 documents do I need for UNILORIN screening?
For post-UTME or screening at UNILORIN, 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 UNILORIN portal before screening day.
What is UNILORIN most competitive course?
Medicine and Surgery carries the highest 2026 cut-off at UNILORIN at 274. 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.
Does UNILORIN have hostels for students?
UNILORIN 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 in areas such as Tanke, Ilorin.