Chancellors from Nigerian universities attending the 2023 meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have reached a consensus on setting 140 as the lowest requirement for admissions in the upcoming 2023/2024 academic session. However, individual universities have the freedom to establish their own cut-off scores. Nonetheless, no university will be permitted to admit any candidate who falls below the 140 benchmark. This announcement was made by JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during the ongoing 2023 policy meeting in Abuja.
As an example, the University of Jos proposed a cut-off mark of 180 for admissions, while the University of Ibadan, University of Benin, and University of Lagos proposed 200. The Federal University of Technology suggested 180, among other universities. The Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos stands out with the highest proposed benchmark of 220. On the other hand, approximately 15 universities, particularly those in the private sector, recommended lowering the benchmark to 120, but this suggestion was rejected.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh, stated, “We have considered the opinions of the majority. Most universities have agreed, and the decision remains that 140 is the minimum benchmark for university admissions.”
Regarding polytechnics, the minimum score required for admissions was set at 100, while Colleges of Education adopted the same benchmark of 100.