The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially scheduled Monday, May 11, 2026, for its annual policy meeting to determine the minimum cut-off marks for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was made by JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Sunday, May 3. The meeting is the formal starting gun for the 2026 admission cycle, bringing together the heads of all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
What to Expect on May 11
The meeting, which will be held at the Body of Benchers Auditorium in Abuja, will address several critical pillars of the upcoming admission season:
- The Minimum UTME Benchmark: Stakeholders will vote on the “minimum tolerable” scores for Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education, and Monotechnics.
- Admission Guidelines: The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, is expected to unveil the overarching policy directions that institutions must follow.
- NATAP-M Awards: The event will also feature the 6th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Awards, recognizing schools that adhered strictly to admission guidelines in the previous year.
- Underage Screening: JAMB has also clarified that it has begun screening “exceptional” underage candidates (those who scored 320 and above but are below the required age) to evaluate their eligibility for special admission consideration.
Key Stakeholders in Attendance
The decisions made on May 11 are not unilateral; they are reached via a consensus among:
- Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts.
- Registrars and Admission Officers.
- Regulatory bodies like the NUC (Universities), NBTE (Polytechnics), and NCCE (Colleges of Education).
