VICE COUNCILORS AGREE ON 140 AS MINIMUM BENCHMARK SCORE FOR ADMISSIONS

Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian universities present at the 2023 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have agreed on 140 as the minimum benchmark for the admissions of 2023/2024 academic session. However, universities are at liberty to decide individual cut-off marks but no university will be allowed to admit any candidate who scores below the 140 benchmark, JAMB registrar, Prof.Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during the 2023 policy meeting ongoing in Abuja. For instance, the University of Jos proposed 180 as cut-off mark for admissions; the University of Ibadan proposed 200; University of Benin proposed 200; University of Lagos proposed 200; and the Federal University of Technology proposed 180, among others. The Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, is the only university that proposed the highest benchmark of 220, while about 15 universities, most especially those in the private sector, advised that the benchmark be lowered to 120, a move that was rejected. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh, said, “We have heard the voices of the majority. Most of the universities have agreed and the decision stands that 140 is the minimum benchmark for university admissions.” For the polytechnics, the minimum benchmark score was 100 for admissions, while Colleges of Education adopted the benchmark of 100 for admissions.