Nigeria’s admission season is officially heating up as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) unveils major updates for the 2026/2027 admission process.
From official cut-off marks to changes in UTME requirements and admission timelines, here are the biggest updates every admission seeker should know.
✅ Colleges of Nursing — 150
✅ Polytechnics & Monotechnics — 100
✅ Colleges of Education — 100
Institutions can still decide to use higher cut-off marks for competitive courses like:
- Medicine & Surgery
- Law
- Pharmacy
- Engineering
- Nursing
JAMB also announced that candidates applying for:
- Education Programmes (NCE)
- Agriculture-related non-engineering courses
may no longer be required to write UTME before gaining admission.
However, affected candidates will still:
- Register with JAMB
- Go through CAPS verification
- Participate in the admission process
🗓 Private Universities — November 30, 2026
🗓 Polytechnics & Colleges of Education — December 31, 2026
Reports also indicate that candidates may have approximately four weeks to accept or reject admission offers.
JAMB has maintained 16 years as the official minimum admission age into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Candidates below the approved age may face difficulties during admission processing unless special approval is granted.
According to JAMB, Mathematics may no longer be compulsory for admission into certain university courses where advanced calculations are not essential.
However, Mathematics will still remain compulsory for:
- Engineering courses
- Science-related programmes
- Technology-based disciplines
More clarification and the full list of affected courses are expected soon.
Reports also suggest that JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, may soon step down from office.
Although no official confirmation has been made, the development has sparked conversations within the education sector.
- Start preparing for Post-UTME immediately
- Monitor your school portal regularly
- Pay attention to departmental cut-off marks
- Stay updated with official JAMB announcements