JAMB announces 2026 admission cut-off mark

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for university admissions in the 2026 academic session.

The decision was announced on Monday at the ongoing admission policy meeting for the 2026 UTME in Abuja. The board’s announcement is a minimum admission basepoint requirement while allowing institutions to set higher departmental thresholds where necessary.

In a related development, the federal government has exempted candidates seeking admission into colleges of education from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which is conducted by JAMB.

The minister of education, Tunji Alausa, made the announcement during the admission policy meeting. According to the minister, the exemption is aimed at improving access to teacher education programmes and reducing barriers for prospective students interested in the teaching profession.

According to Alausa, candidates applying for the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme will now be admitted based on a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, without sitting for UTME. All applicants must still register with JAMB for verification of their qualification.

Alausa said the reform is designed to promote accessibility and encourage interest in teacher education, which remains critical to national development.

“Candidates must still register with JAMB… and their credentials will be verified before admission letters are issued through CAPS,” he said.

The government also extended similar exemptions to certain National Diploma programmes in agriculture and non-technology fields, a move it described as part of efforts to reduce pressure on the UTME system while widening access to tertiary education.