JAMB Sets 150 as Minimum Admission Cut-Off for Universities in 2025
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced that the minimum admission cut-off mark for all Nigerian universities in 2025 is 150. The decision was made during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, which brought together vice-chancellors and other stakeholders in the education sector.
This means that no Nigerian university is allowed to admit any student who scores below 150 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The cut-off applies to both public and private universities across the country.
However, some leading institutions like the University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Pan-Atlantic University have chosen to maintain a much higher benchmark of 200. These institutions are known for their high academic standards and strong competition for limited admission slots.
Meanwhile, some of the newer private universities proposed a much lower score of 120 as their admission benchmark. But the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, intervened and advised that no school should go below 160, even though the national policy has fixed 150 as the general threshold.
The announcement comes at a time when admission processes are heating up across the country. With over a million candidates sitting for the 2025 UTME, the new cut-off mark will determine how many students stand a chance of gaining admission into Nigerian universities this year.
It is important to note that while JAMB provides the minimum benchmark, each university has the right to set a higher cut-off, based on the number of available slots and competition from applicants.
Earlier this week, Lagos State University (LASU) overtook the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) as the most preferred institution by JAMB applicants, according to new rankings released during the meeting.
As students across the country begin to check their UTME results and prepare for post-UTME screening exercises, this new guideline will play a major role in shaping the 2025/2026 admission process.
Candidates are encouraged to check the specific cut-off marks of their chosen schools and follow official admission procedures as directed by their institutions and JAMB.