Breaking News: Universities Peg Admission Cut-Off at 150, Polytechnics Retain 100

By Emmanuel Kwada

Heads of tertiary institutions across Nigeria have unanimously agreed on new minimum admissible scores for the 2026 admission exercise, setting 150 as the benchmark for universities and colleges of nursing sciences, while polytechnics will admit candidates from a minimum score of 100.

The decision was reached during a stakeholders’ meeting involving heads of higher institutions and education authorities aimed at harmonising admission standards for the upcoming academic session.

Under the new arrangement, candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities and colleges of nursing sciences must score at least 150 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to be eligible for consideration. Polytechnics, on the other hand, will maintain a minimum admissible score of 100.

The agreement is expected to guide institutions in determining their admission processes, although individual schools may still adopt higher cut-off marks depending on competition and programme requirements.

Education stakeholders said the move was aimed at ensuring fairness, maintaining academic standards, and widening access to tertiary education across the country.

The development comes amid ongoing discussions on improving the quality of admissions and addressing concerns over declining performance in public examinations.