The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed Monday, May 11, 2026, to decide the minimum Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cut-off marks for the 2026/2027 academic session.
- +JAMB fixes May 11 for decision on 2026 admission cut-off marks
This was disclosed on Sunday by the board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement announcing that the decision would be taken during JAMB’s annual policy meeting on admissions scheduled to hold in Abuja.
This was disclosed on Sunday by the board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement announcing that the decision would be taken during JAMB’s annual policy meeting on admissions scheduled to hold in Abuja.
For this year’s UTME examination, which was held between April 16 and April 25, 2026, over 2.2 million candidates registered for the exercise.
Benjamin said the meeting would also unveil key policy directions for the new admission cycle, to be presented by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
He described the policy meeting as a major platform where stakeholders deliberate on admission benchmarks and frameworks.
He further noted that the meeting would formally kick off the 2026/2027 admission process while reinforcing strict compliance with established rules.
Benjamin also said the meeting would bring together top officials across the tertiary education system, including heads of institutions and regulatory agencies.
In January 2026, JAMB announced that the UTME would be held nationwide from April 16 to April 25.
The UTME is a standardized examination conducted by JAMB for candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria.
On April 20, JAMB began releasing results, announcing that 1,264,940 results had been released for candidates who sat for the exam between April 17 and 18.
Over the years, JAMB’s cut-off marks for university admissions have seen notable fluctuations and an overall decline.
In 2025, the board set minimum admissible scores at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences, highlighting a gradual downward adjustment in admission thresholds over time.
