The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced 150 as the minimum national cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2024/2025 academic session.
The new admission threshold was disclosed on Tuesday during the 2025 JAMB policy meeting held in Abuja.
The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, brought together Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, and heads of regulatory bodies to harmonise admission processes for the upcoming academic year.
In addition to the university benchmark, JAMB set a minimum score of 100 for admissions into polytechnics and colleges of education, while colleges of nursing sciences will accept candidates with a minimum score of 140.
Speaking at the meeting, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, stressed that the policy marks are minimum thresholds and that no institution is permitted to admit candidates below the approved scores.
He noted that individual universities and colleges are free to set higher cut-off marks, depending on programme competitiveness and institutional capacity.
“This policy reflects the reality of our education system and the need to align admission processes with merit, equity, and capacity,” Oloyede said. “The approved scores are minimum acceptable points and institutions must operate within these parameters to ensure fairness and quality.”
The Registrar added that the policy aims to balance access to higher education with maintaining standards that support academic excellence.
He further reiterated that institutional autonomy in the admission process remains intact but must be exercised within the national framework agreed upon by stakeholders.
In his remarks, Minister Alausa commended JAMB and participating institutions for sustaining a transparent and unified admission system that continues to adapt to the realities of Nigeria’s diverse education landscape.
He urged institutions to conclude all admission processes in line with the approved schedule and report outcomes promptly to JAMB for central processing and record-keeping.
“We must continue to strengthen the credibility of our admission system to protect merit and ensure that access to tertiary education is not compromised,” Alausa stated.
Stakeholders at the meeting underscored the importance of concluding the admission cycle on time to avoid disruptions to the academic calendar.
The policy meeting also reinforced the federal government’s commitment to enhancing quality assurance, institutional accountability, and operational efficiency within Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
The new cut-off marks come at a time when demand for university placements remains high, with hundreds of thousands of candidates seeking admission annually amid limited available slots.
Education analysts have noted that while the approved benchmarks provide a national guide, competition for places in popular universities and high-demand courses such as medicine, law, and engineering often means actual admission scores will be significantly higher than the minimum mark.
