JAMB raises cut-off mark to 160 for 2019/2020 university admission

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the approval of 160 as the national minimum benchmark for admission into public universities for the 2019/2020 academic session.

The decision was reached at a policy meeting with universities and other tertiary institutions across the country on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.

The review also affected the minimum benchmark for admission into private universities which has been set at 140 scored in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

120 UTME score has been approved for admission into public polytechnics, while candidates will be required to score at least 110 to gain admission into private polytechnics.

100 UTME score was approved as the cut-off mark for colleges of education.

JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the commission is not solely responsible for fixing the cut-off marks, but that it's a joint decision reached between the institutions and other relevant stakeholders.

"The admission process would be guided by the approved institutional/programmes cutoff marks and minimum UTME score, as submitted by the respective institutions.

"The minimum UTME score for admission will be as prescribed by each institution subject to the respective National Minimum UTME score," he said during the 19th policy meeting in Gbongan, Osun State on Tuesday.

JAMB faced intense public backlash when it reduced the cutoff mark for university admission from 180 to 120 in 2017, with many knocking it as a setback for the nation's education sector. The commission raised it to 140 last year.

The cutoff score stood at 200 for a number of years, with 400 being the maximum score.