JAMB: No uniform UTME cut-off mark for tertiary institution admissions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that there is no such thing as a uniform national minimum score for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.

JAMB had revealed that it is looking to host a policy meeting with education stakeholders on July 18 ahead of 2024 admissions.

At this meeting, the minimum cut-off marks submitted to it by the respective tertiary institutions are to be deliberated on and approved.

In its weekly bulletin, the board clarified that there is no uniform Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME) cut-off mark for admissions.

It stated that it does not dictate any national minimum threshold for admissions but only holds the institutions to account for their own pre-set standards.

The board said this is to prevent undue adjustments when admissions commence.

“The board conducts the UMTE and hands over the results to institutions for the conduct of admissions. Before the admission exercise commences, a policy meeting is held with all the heads of the institutions in attendance,” JAMB said.

“At this meeting, the admission guidelines, which include recommendations from individual institutions and their preferred minimum admission score, are presented and deliberated upon.

“JAMB is only a member among the over a thousand participants at the meeting.

“Before the meeting, more than 50% of the universities would have submitted in writing their minimum scores of 200 and above to the board for presentation to the meeting for deliberation. The same applies to the other tiers of tertiary institutions.

“This process implies that no institution would be able to admit any candidate with any score below what they had submitted as their minimum score.”

JAMB said the policy meeting does not reduce the minimum prescription emanating from the institutions except in a few situations.

It also addressed misconceptions that minimum cut-off marks are overwhelmingly the criterion by which candidates are admitted.

“UTME score is just one of the two or three scores that are generally cumulated to obtain the eventual aggregate score and ranking of the candidates by most institutions,” the board added.

“Other parameters are Post-UTME/Post-A/L qualifications screening test score, O/L grade score, and in some cases physical test (such as applicable in the Nigerian Defence Academy/Police Academy).

“It is the score from all these segments that are added together to have an eventual ranking table.”