The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities and colleges of nursing for the 2026 academic session.
It also retained 100 as the minimum score for admission into polytechnics and monotechnics across the country.
The decisions were reached on Monday during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who presided over the meeting, said the approved benchmarks represent the minimum requirements for admission and are binding on all tertiary institutions.
He stressed that candidates seeking admission must meet the prescribed standards before they can be considered for placement.
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Stakeholders at the meeting also agreed on timelines for the completion of the 2026 admission exercise.
Under the new schedule, public universities are expected to conclude admissions on or before October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026.
Polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education are required to complete their admission processes not later than December 31, 2026.
Speaking at the meeting, JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, directed institutions to strictly comply with the approved timelines.
Oloyede warned that any institution that fails to conclude its admissions before the deadline would lose access to candidates on the Central Admission Processing System for that admission cycle.
He also announced that candidates offered admission must accept the offer within four weeks.
According to him, failure to do so would result in the withdrawal of the admission offer and could make affected candidates ineligible for further consideration during the 2026 admission exercise.
The JAMB registrar said the measures were introduced to promote transparency, fairness, and timely completion of admissions into tertiary institutions nationwide.
Crediblenewsng.com
