The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and heads of tertiary institutions across Nigeria have approved 150 as the minimum UTME score for admission into universities for the 2026 academic session.
The decision was reached on Monday during the 2026 annual policy meeting on tertiary institution admissions held in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed admission requirements for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The approved benchmarks, officially known as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores, prevent institutions from admitting candidates who score below the stipulated cut-off marks.
However, individual institutions are still permitted to adopt higher cut-off marks based on their internal admission policies.
According to JAMB, vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and other heads of tertiary institutions agreed that the minimum admissible score for universities and colleges of nursing would be 150, while polytechnics and colleges of education would retain 100 as their benchmark.
The decision followed deliberations and a voting process involving institutional leaders at the meeting.
The new benchmark means universities and nursing colleges nationwide will operate with 150 as the minimum entry score for the 2026 admission exercise, while candidates seeking admission into polytechnics and colleges of education can still qualify with scores from 100 upward.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, also confirmed during the meeting that the Federal Government has retained 16 years as the minimum admission age for tertiary institutions across the country.