The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has scheduled its policy meeting for May 11, 2026, in Abuja.
The meeting will determine the minimum cut-off marks for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
It will also set admission guidelines for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the decision will shape entry requirements for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin.
According to him, the meeting will bring together key education stakeholders to agree on nationwide admission standards.
Stakeholders To Set Admission Benchmarks In Abuja
The policy meeting will take place in Abuja and will be attended by top education administrators.
Participants include vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, registrars, and admission officers from institutions nationwide.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, is also expected to present policy directions for the new admission cycle.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said the session will formally guide how institutions admit students for the new academic year.
It added that the meeting is critical to ensuring uniformity in admission standards across Nigeria’s higher education system.
The UTME cut-off mark has traditionally influenced student eligibility for university, polytechnic, and college admission.
Higher institutions often adjust their departmental requirements based on the national benchmark set at the meeting.
Meanwhile, education stakeholders view the annual policy meeting as a key moment that shapes access to tertiary education.
It also serves as a platform for aligning admission processes with national education priorities.
The outcome of the 2026 meeting will directly affect millions of candidates who sat for the UTME.
As competition for admission continues to rise, expectations remain high among students and parents nationwide.
With the policy meeting approaching, attention now shifts to what new cut off marks will define the 2026 admission cycle.
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The cut off marks have always been competitive, most times students don’t get in to study what they desired, often switching to something else.
Most times private schools keep their cut off mark minimum so as to gather more students who didn’t make it.
My personal opinion, I think cut off mark and jamb should be scrapped off entirely. Let it be on merit that one stays in school. If by first semester a student is packing truck loads of F, then remove the student and let others in.