Female UNILAG-bound candidate tops UTME, varsities keep 150 cutoff

A female candidate seeking admission to study Medicine at the University of Lagos, Owoeye Jesudunsin, has emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination after scoring 372 out of a possible 400 marks.

This emerged when the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board unveiled the top-performing candidates on Monday during its 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.

Owoeye, who sat the examination in Ogun State and hails from Ekiti State, applied to study Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at UNILAG.

Coming behind Jesudunsin was Enwere Ikenna from Imo State, who scored 370 and applied to Nile University of Nigeria to study Computer Science.

Bamisile Emmanuel from Ondo State secured the third position with 369 marks and applied to the Federal University of Technology, Akure, to study Software Engineering.

Other candidates on the top scorers’ list recorded between 367 and 368 marks.

They include Olabiyisi Olanrewaju Oluwatimileyin from Oyo State, who applied to Pan-Atlantic University for Mechatronics Engineering; Victor-Onyeka Daniel Ifeanyi from Imo State, who selected University of Port Harcourt for Electrical/Electronics Engineering; and Osagiobare Daniel Osahenrumwen from Edo State, who applied to University of Benin for Mechanical Engineering.

Others are Ademiluyi Adebowale Anthony from Osun State, who chose Obafemi Awolowo University for Computer Engineering, and Azuike Kenechukwu Anthony from Anambra State, who applied to Afe Babalola University for Software Engineering.

Offorkile Michael Okechukwu from Abia State, Adebisi Eniola Sonari from Ogun State and Umukoro Gift Orhenevovwero from Delta State also made the top scorers’ category with 367 marks each.

JAMB noted that over two million candidates participated in the 2026 UTME nationwide.

Varsities retain 150 benchmark

The revelation of the top scorers came as JAMB and stakeholders in the tertiary education sector retained 150 as the minimum admission benchmark for universities for the 2025/2026 admission exercise.

The meeting also approved 100 as the benchmark for polytechnics and colleges of education, while colleges of nursing retained 150.

However, tertiary institutions retain the power to fix higher cut-off marks for their applicants.

The benchmark was adopted after extensive deliberations and voting by heads of tertiary institutions at the meeting.

The meeting convened by the JAMB was attended by vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and other stakeholders.

The approved scores, officially known as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores, imply that no institution is permitted to admit candidates who score below the benchmark.

Last year, universities also adopted 150 as the minimum benchmark, while polytechnics and colleges of education retained 100.

JAMB fixes admission deadlines

JAMB also announced deadlines for the conclusion of admissions into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.

According to resolutions reached at the meeting, all public universities are expected to conclude admissions on or before October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026.

Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education are expected to complete admissions not later than December 31, 2026.

“All institutions are to conduct their 2026 admission exercise within the approved schedule,” the board stated.

JAMB warned that institutions failing to conclude admissions within the stipulated period would lose access to candidates on the Central Admissions Processing System platform.

“At the expiration of the period, any institution that failed to conduct its admission will no longer have the candidates on its platform on CAPS,” the board added.

The board also introduced a four-week grace period within which candidates must accept admission offers after approval by institutions.

“There will be a grace period of four weeks within which all approved admissions must be accepted by the candidates,” JAMB said.

It warned that failure to accept admission within the period could lead to forfeiture of the offer.

“Failure to do so will lead to such admissions being deleted, based on the request from the institutions, and the candidates will be placed under the ‘refusal to accept category’ punishable by ineligibility to be admitted again,” the board stated.

The policy meeting, attended by vice-chancellors, rectors and other education stakeholders, focused on harmonising admission timelines and improving transparency in the admission process nationwide.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, declared admissions conducted outside CAPS illegal and warned institutions against operating parallel admission systems.

“Let me reiterate, without equivocation, that admissions conducted outside this framework are illegal and will not be recognised,” the minister said.

“The era in which institutions operated parallel admission systems, often to the detriment of deserving candidates, must come to an end.”

Alausa warned that institutions found violating the admission process could face sanctions, including suspension of operating licences.

“Any institution found to have conducted admissions outside the CAPS will be held accountable, and appropriate sanctions shall be applied without hesitation,” he stated.

According to him, restoring integrity to the admission process was central to rebuilding confidence in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

He added, “Government will continue to enforce compliance with this policy, and appropriate sanctions will be applied where necessary. This is not a punitive measure; it is a necessary step towards restoring order and credibility in the system.”

FG retains 16 years admission age

The minister also announced that the Federal Government had retained 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions.

“Following extensive consultations and policy reviews, the government has maintained sixteen years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions,” Alausa stated.

“This position reflects a careful balance between inclusivity and academic readiness.”

He noted, however, that exceptional cases involving gifted students would be handled under clearly defined guidelines.

“While we recognise the existence of exceptionally gifted individuals, such cases must be treated within clearly defined and rigorously enforced guidelines to preserve the integrity of the system as a whole,” he added.

NCE candidates exempted from UTME

Alausa further disclosed that candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education programmes would no longer be required to sit the UTME if they possessed the required qualifications.