Dear Students, Parents, and Esteemed Guardians,
I write to you today in my capacity as your JAMB mentor to provide a comprehensive and authoritative briefing on the recently communicated policies and regulatory directives issued by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for the 2026 admission cycle. It is imperative that all stakeholders familiarize themselves with these updates to ensure full compliance and to safeguard the academic progress of every candidate.
* Minimum Admission Age: The minimum age for admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education remains sixteen years, as stipulated in Section 7, Subsection 2 of the admission guidelines.
* Exceptionally Underage Candidates: Provision exists for exceptionally brilliant underage candidates, but they must register officially as underage and submit a signed undertaking confirming their exceptional academic capability.
* Subject Combination Compliance: Admissions will be withdrawn if a candidate presented an incorrect subject combination during registration. Candidates must verify their subject choices against their intended course requirements.
* Protection Against Course Change Coercion: JAMB has condemned the practice of institutions pressuring candidates to change their courses through calls, SMS, or emails. Institutions no longer have access to candidates personal contact details during admission processing to prevent such coercion.
* Examination Town Selection: Candidates personally select their examination towns during registration. Claims of external manipulation in this regard are unfounded and dismissed by the Board.
* Authorization of Admission Processing: No admission will be processed unless it is properly initiated and formally recommended by authorized institutional admission officers.
* Admission Acceptance Deadline: Candidates have a strict two week window to accept their admission offer after it has been approved by JAMB. Failure to comply within this period may result in forfeiture of the placement.
* Declaration by Previously Admitted Students: Institutions must obtain a formal declaration of admission status from all previously admitted students before processing new admission lists. This ensures transparency and prevents vacancy manipulation.
* Data indicates that more female candidates from twenty two states intend to proceed to tertiary institutions compared to male candidates, reflecting higher female participation in the 2026 UTME.
* Highest UTME Score 2026: The highest score recorded in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is three hundred and seventy two. 372
* NCE Admission Policy Change: JAMB UTME is no longer required for admission into National Certificate in Education programmes. This is a new policy directive.
* University Cut Off Mark 2026: The minimum cut off mark for university admissions in the 2026 cycle has been set at one hundred and fifty. 150
* The heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria had unanimously agreed that the minimum admissible scores for admissions into universities should be 150, colleges of nursing 150, and polytechnics 100.
While the cut off mark qualifies candidates for consideration, a strong Post UTME performance significantly improves admission chances. Candidates preparing for institutional screenings must study with heightened focus and discipline.
I advise all candidates and parents to treat each of these points with the seriousness they deserve. Compliance is compulsory, not optional. Please rely only on official JAMB channels for updates, and ensure all documentation and decisions align strictly with these guidelines.
! Here are some last-minute tips:
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๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ'๐๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฏ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐
DEAR JAMB ASPIRANTS โ READ THIS CAREFULLY!
160 and above
140 โ 159
College of Education
Donโt sit at home doing nothing โ make a smart move.
OR you can prepare ahead for next JAMB and aim higher.