The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), alongside key education stakeholders, has announced the deadlines for the completion of the 2025/2026 admission process for tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The resolutions were reached during the 2026 JAMB Annual Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday.
According to the agreed timelines, all public universities in the country are expected to conclude their admission processes on or before October 31, 2026. Private universities, on the other hand, have until November 30, 2026, to complete admissions for the academic session.
Polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education were also directed to finalize their admission exercises no later than December 31, 2026.
The policy meeting had in attendance vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and other stakeholders in the education sector, with discussions centered on harmonizing admission schedules and ensuring a more coordinated admission process nationwide.
In another major decision reached at the meeting, JAMB approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into universities for the 2026 academic session.
This means candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) must score at least 150 to be eligible for admission consideration.
The announcement is expected to guide institutions in setting their admission requirements while helping candidates better understand the benchmark for the upcoming admission cycle.
