Temitayo Olumofe
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) officially announced on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, a new cut-off mark of 150 for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session. This decision was reached during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, attended by key stakeholders including Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, and the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa.
This announcement has sparked widespread debate across Nigeria’s educational landscape. Is this move a pragmatic step towards increasing access to higher education for more students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds? Or does it risk lowering academic standards, potentially compromising the quality of future graduates and the workforce? To understand the implications, it is important to examine the rationale behind the decision, reactions from various stakeholders, statistical data on pass rates, and the potential long-term effects on Nigeria’s education system.
The cut-off mark is the minimum score a candidate must achieve in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to be eligible for admission into universities. For the 2025/2026 session, JAMB set this minimum at 150, while polytechnics and colleges of education have a cut-off of 100, and colleges of nursing 140.
During the policy meeting, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, explained that the figure was a consensus among education stakeholders, including university Vice-Chancellors, who voted on the benchmarks. Although the JAMB Registrar and the Minister of Education initially proposed a higher minimum score of 160, most institutional heads preferred to maintain a lower threshold to accommodate a broader range of candidates.
This decision reflects a balancing act between maintaining academic standards and broadening access to tertiary education. The cut-off mark of 150 is notably higher than the 140 set for universities in the previous year but still lower than the 160 initially suggested by some policymakers.
The announcement has elicited mixed reactions. Some university administrators welcomed the decision, emphasizing that it allows more students to gain admission, especially those from marginalized communities who may not have had access to quality preparatory resources. They argue that a cut-off of 150 is a reasonable compromise that does not significantly dilute academic standards but helps expand educational opportunities.
Conversely, critics, including some academics and education experts, warn that setting the cut-off mark at 150 risks “dumbing down” university admission standards. They fear this could lead to admitting students who are underprepared for the rigors of tertiary education, potentially increasing dropout rates and lowering the overall quality of graduates entering the workforce.
While students’ reactions vary widely. Some celebrate the lower cut-off as a chance to pursue university education despite not achieving very high UTME scores, while others worry that this might affect the prestige and competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
JAMB also highlighted the performance statistics of the 2025 UTME, noting that the highest scorer was Okeke Chinedu Christian from Anambra State with 375 out of 400, choosing to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). This shows that while the cut-off is set at 150, there are still candidates achieving very high scores and competing for top courses.
While detailed nationwide pass rates for the 2025 UTME have not been fully published, historical data show that a significant proportion of candidates score below 150, making the cut-off a critical gatekeeper for university admission. For example, in previous years, the pass rate for the UTME has hovered around 40-50%, with many candidates scoring below the then cut-off mark of 140.
By raising the cut-off from 140 to 150, JAMB aims to slightly raise the minimum academic threshold while still allowing a wider pool of candidates to qualify compared to the proposed 160 mark.
This could potentially increase the number of eligible candidates for university admission, easing pressure on polytechnics and colleges of education, which have lower cut-offs at 100.
The decision to set the cut-off mark at 150 raises important questions about meritocracy and equity in Nigerian higher education.
Critics argue that lowering the cut-off mark compared to the proposed 160 could undermine meritocracy by admitting students with lower academic performance. This could affect the quality of university education and the preparedness of graduates entering the job market.
Proponents contend that the 150 cut-off mark promotes educational equity by allowing more students, especially those from disadvantaged or underserved regions, to access university education. Many students face socioeconomic challenges that limit their ability to prepare for exams, so a slightly lower threshold may help bridge educational gaps.
The quality of Nigeria’s future workforce depends heavily on the caliber of university graduates. If admission standards are perceived as too low, employers may question the competence of graduates, potentially affecting employment rates and economic growth. However, if the cut-off is too high, many capable but under-resourced students may be excluded, worsening inequality.
The 2025 cut-off mark decision reflects a broader challenge faced by many countries on how to balance expanding access to higher education with maintaining academic excellence. Nigeria’s rapidly growing youth population means more students are seeking university education every year, but infrastructure and resources have not always kept pace.
By setting the cut-off mark at 150, JAMB and educational stakeholders appear to be navigating a middle path—raising the bar slightly from the previous year but stopping short of the higher threshold proposed by some officials. This approach aims to prevent exclusion of large numbers of candidates while still encouraging improved academic performance.
The July 8, 2025 announcement by JAMB to set the university admission cut-off mark at 150 is a significant policy decision with complex implications. It seeks to expand access to tertiary education for more Nigerians while attempting to uphold academic standards. The debate over whether this move represents a lowering of standards or a necessary adjustment to promote equity will likely continue as the 2025/2026 academic session unfolds.
Ultimately, the success of this policy will depend on how universities support admitted students to succeed academically and how the education system addresses broader challenges such as quality of instruction, infrastructure, and student support services. The future quality of Nigeria’s workforce and its global competitiveness hinge on these factors as much as on admission cut-off marks