JAMB, School and Departmental Cut-Off Marks Explained for 2026/2027

Editorially revised on 28 October 2026. This independently rewritten edition corrects or clarifies the older OGB report. All dates and requirements below refer to the academic session stated; verify new notices before paying fees or applying.

Three different scores applicants should understand

JAMB national minimum: a floor fixed for each broad institution category at the annual policy meeting. In the 2026 admissions cycle, JAMB published 150 for universities and colleges of nursing sciences and 100 for polytechnics. These are not universal departmental scores.

Institution screening threshold: a university or polytechnic may require a higher UTME mark before a candidate can take part in its screening or be considered for admission. This may differ by year.

Departmental cut-off or aggregate: a programme-specific threshold can incorporate the school's actual selection system and may be expressed as a percentage rather than a raw UTME score. Medicine, Nursing, Law and other competitive courses may have different thresholds, but never invent a universal safe score for each programme.

Worked example

A candidate with 175 in UTME meets JAMB's 2026 university-wide minimum of 150 but does not meet an institution's screening benchmark of 200. A candidate who meets an institution's screening benchmark may still miss a particular department's aggregate. These checks are separate.

Verify before applying

Use the school's dated official notice and JAMB IBASS to verify subject combinations, O'Level sitting restrictions and available courses. A cut-off is only one eligibility requirement; it is never an automatic offer of admission.

JAMB IBASS checker · OGB's free admission guides .

Source: JAMB official bulletin on 2026 minimum tolerable scores . OGB Admission Hub is an independent educational information publisher, not the admitting institution or examination authority.