Abuja: The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the minimum cut-off marks for the 2026 admission exercise, setting 150 as the minimum score for universities and colleges of nursing. Polytechnics and monotechnics will have a lower cut-off mark set at 100. This decision follows extensive discussions at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions organized by the board.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the meeting was chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who emphasized that the specified cut-off marks are mandatory for admission processes. He stressed that candidates must meet these requirements to be considered for admission. Additionally, the meeting established deadlines for completing the 2026 admission exercises across various tertiary institutions.
Stakeholders agreed that public universities should finalize their admissions by October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026. Polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education are advised to complete their admissions by December 31, 2026. JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, instructed all institutions to adhere strictly to these timelines.
Prof. Oloyede warned that institutions failing to meet the specified deadlines would lose access to candidates for that session. He also stated that successful candidates must accept their admission offers within four weeks. Failure to do so would result in the withdrawal of the offers, potentially making candidates ineligible for further admission considerations in the session.