BREAKING: JAMB Approves Cut-Off Marks for Varsities, Polytechnics
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Thursday approved the cut-off marks for candidates seeking admission into universities and polytechnics across Nigeria for the 2026 academic session.
The decision was reached during a meeting attended by officials from JAMB, the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), among others.
Approved Cut-Off Marks
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Universities: 140
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Polytechnics: 120
These cut-off marks define the minimum UTME scores candidates must achieve to be considered for admission into the respective institutions.
2026 UTME Performance Statistics
At the policy meeting, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, revealed the distribution of candidates’ performance in the 2026 UTME:
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378,639 candidates scored 200 and above
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520,596 scored 190 and above
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704,991 scored 180 and above
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934,103 scored 170 and above
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1,192,057 scored 160 and above
Out of 1,761,338 candidates who sat for the examination, only a fraction scored above 200, highlighting the competitive nature of the 2026 UTME.
Related Article: BUK Releases Admission List for 2022/2023 Academic Session
Registration for Candidates with Awaiting Results
Professor Oloyede also emphasized that JAMB allowed candidates with awaiting O’level results to register and sit for the UTME. However, these candidates cannot be considered for admission on awaiting result status.
“They must present their O’level results on the board’s portal before the commencement of admissions,” he said.
The approved cut-off marks and clear guidelines for awaiting result candidates ensure a more transparent and standardized admission process for Nigerian universities and polytechnics.
