Nigerian universities have officially pegged the minimum cut-off mark for the 2025 admission exercise at 150. This decision was collectively reached during the annual policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), held on Tuesday, with the participation of vice-chancellors from public and private universities across the country.
The policy gathering, which serves as the central platform for setting admission guidelines into tertiary institutions, witnessed deliberations on various admission-related issues, with the consensus emerging that candidates who score below 150 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will not be eligible for admission into any Nigerian university. The JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, chaired the meeting and stressed the need for quality assurance and standardization in the admission process across all institutions.
While 150 stands as the national minimum benchmark, some elite institutions have opted to maintain higher entry thresholds for their academic programmes. Notably, the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, and Pan-Atlantic University have each resolved to keep their minimum cut-off mark at 200, citing the competitive nature of their programmes and the need to admit only high-performing candidates.
On the other hand, several newer and less competitive private universities proposed a significantly lower minimum score of 120 to attract a broader pool of applicants. However, during discussions, Professor Oloyede urged stakeholders to consider setting a minimum score of 160 as a more appropriate baseline to maintain academic integrity, even among institutions with relatively fewer applicants.
It is important to note that the UTME, administered by JAMB annually, is the primary standardized examination for gaining entry into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The 2025 edition of the UTME has seen increased scrutiny and reforms, as education stakeholders continue to push for a balance between accessibility and academic excellence.
With this latest development, prospective university students are advised to pay close attention to the admission policies of their chosen institutions, as many universities will continue to adopt programme-specific requirements above the national benchmark.
