JAMB set to decide 2026 admission cut-off scores at Monday policy meeting

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is set to hold its 2026 Policy Meeting on Monday, May 11, where stakeholders in the nation’s education sector are expected to deliberate on and adopt guidelines for the 2026 admission exercise into tertiary institutions across the country.

The meeting, which will be chaired by the Minister of Education, will consider key issues surrounding admissions into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other higher institutions, including the determination of the minimum tolerable scores for admissions.

The development was disclosed on Sunday by Fabian Benjamin, the Board’s spokesperson, through a statement posted on his X handle.

“Tomorrow, Monday, 11th May, is a significant day as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will hold its 2026 Policy Meeting, to be chaired by the Honourable Minister of Education.

“At the meeting, guidelines for the 2026 admission exercise into all tertiary institutions in Nigeria will be considered and adopted, including the determination of the minimum tolerable scores for admissions,” he noted

According to him, the annual policy meeting remains a critical platform where admission procedures and standards are harmonised among heads of tertiary institutions and relevant stakeholders in the education sector.

Benjamin also revealed that this year’s meeting would feature international participation, with a delegation from Sierra Leone attending to understudy Nigeria’s centralised admission system.

The delegation includes Sarjoh Aziz Kamara, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Education, alongside Vice-Chancellors of two Sierra Leonean universities, Edwin Momoh and Bashiru Koroma.

The officials are reportedly in Nigeria to study the operations of JAMB as Sierra Leone plans to establish a similar body to coordinate and streamline its tertiary admission process.

Benjamin stated that the delegation was taken through the Board’s examination and admission processes at its headquarters in Bwari ahead of the policy meeting.

He added that the visitors expressed appreciation to the Board, noting that the increasing number of admission seekers in Sierra Leone had created significant challenges which Nigeria’s model appears capable of addressing.

The JAMB spokesperson further noted that the Policy Meeting would give the delegation an opportunity to witness how major stakeholders in Nigeria’s admission process are actively involved in decision-making.

He maintained that the effectiveness of the Board has continued to demonstrate the strategic importance of a centralised admission system in managing tertiary education admissions in Nigeria.