The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says universities in Nigeria will admit candidates with a minimum score of 150 for the 2026 academic session.
The board also announced that colleges of nursing would maintain a minimum admissible score of 150, while polytechnics would admit candidates from 100.
The decisions were reached during the 2026 policy meeting involving heads of tertiary institutions held in Abuja on Monday.
JAMB further stated that the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria remains 16 years.
At the meeting, the board announced a major policy adjustment exempting candidates seeking admission into education programmes and agriculture-related non-engineering courses from sitting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, candidates applying for the National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme with at least four credit passes would no longer be required to take the UTME.
“Candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme, who possess a minimum of four credit passes, will no longer be required to sit for the UTME,” Alausa said.
He, however, noted that such candidates must still register with JAMB for screening and admission processing through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
“However, it is imperative to emphasise that such candidates shall mandatorily register with JAMB, and their credentials shall be duly screened, verified, and certified for the issuance of admission letters through CAPS, in accordance with extant regulations,” he stated.
The minister added that the exemption also applies to National Diploma candidates seeking admission into agriculture-related courses outside engineering and technology fields.
The new policy marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s admission process, where UTME has traditionally been compulsory for admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.