The Federal Government has approved 150 as the minimum admissible cut-off mark for admissions into both public and private universities across Nigeria for the 2026 academic session.

The decision was announced on Monday by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the ongoing 2026 Admission Policy Meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.

The minister said the benchmark would also apply to nursing colleges nationwide as part of efforts to standardise admission processes and maintain quality in tertiary education.

The annual policy meeting, convened by JAMB, brings together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, heads of regulatory agencies and other critical stakeholders in the education sector to determine admission guidelines for tertiary institutions across the country.

Mr Alausa said the approved benchmark represented the minimum score required for candidates seeking admission into universities, stressing that no institution would be allowed to admit candidates below the threshold.

According to him, individual institutions retain the right to set higher cut-off marks depending on their admission capacity and competitiveness of programmes.

The minister noted that the government remained committed to strengthening standards in higher education while ensuring broader access to tertiary education opportunities for qualified candidates.

He urged institutions to adhere strictly to admission regulations and ensure transparency throughout the admission process.

The announcement is expected to provide clarity for candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, and are awaiting the commencement of admission exercises.

Stakeholders at the meeting were also expected to deliberate on admission quotas, guidelines for direct entry admissions, and measures aimed at curbing irregularities in the admission system.

The policy meeting continues in Abuja with representatives of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and nursing institutions in attendance.