The Federal Ministry of Education has announced a new minimum admission benchmark of 150 for all universities and colleges of nursing across Nigeria.
The decision was disclosed on Tuesday by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the ongoing 2026 Admission Policy Meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Abuja.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting, Alausa stated that “the federal government has pegged the minimum admission marks at 150 for both private and public universities in Nigeria.”
The minister further revealed that the same benchmark would apply to colleges of nursing nationwide as part of efforts to standardise admission processes and improve the quality of tertiary education in the country.
“The government has also set 150 as minimum admission cut-off mark for colleges of nursing across the country,” he added.
The policy is expected to guide admissions into tertiary institutions for the 2026 academic session, with institutions required to comply with the approved benchmark while retaining the discretion to set higher internal standards where necessary.
The annual admission policy meeting convened by JAMB brings together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, education officials, and other stakeholders to determine admission guidelines for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
