By Ekunkonye Junior
Abuja
The Federal Government has set 150 as the minimum admission score for both private and public universities in Nigeria for the 2026 academic session.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announced the decision on Tuesday at the ongoing 2026 admission policy meeting organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.
The government also pegged 150 as the minimum admission cut-off mark for colleges of nursing across the country.
For polytechnics, the committee approved 100 as the benchmark score. Institutions that admit candidates below the agreed cut-off marks will be sanctioned, officials at the meeting warned.
The policy meeting further clarified guidelines on post-UTME screening. Any institution that chooses to screen candidates is free to do so, but must not charge more than N2,000 for the exercise.
On admission ratios, the committee directed conventional universities and colleges of education to maintain a 60:40 balance in favor of science courses. This means 60 percent of admissions must go to science programmes and 40 percent to arts courses.
The admission policy meeting brings together education stakeholders nationwide to harmonize guidelines ahead of the 2026 admission cycle. JAMB is expected to release full details of the adopted resolutions after the meeting.
The new benchmarks are aimed at standardizing admission processes and curbing irregularities across tertiary institutions, according to ministry officials present at the session.
