Why UNILAG, OAU can’t go below 200 admission cut-off – JAMB

Four of the Nigerian universities that submitted their benchmark score for admissions ahead of the 2024 policy meeting are not allowed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to admit candidates who scored below 200 in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

The UTME, which is organised by JAMB, is the only acceptable examination taken by individuals seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Though some tertiary institutions may still schedule post-UTME for candidates who apply to them, no individual can be admitted without a result verified by JAMB.

The UTME is usually based on four subject combinations with each subject marked over 100, giving a total of 400 marks.

Though students are at liberty to choose their subject combination in line with their chosen course of study, the use of English is compulsory for all students who wish to be admitted into the country’s tertiary education system.

Recall that the 2024 policy meeting fixed 140 as the minimum benchmark score for admissions into universities. Though JAMB noted that each university is at liberty to fix its own benchmark score, it noted that no candidate must be admitted with less than 140 scores.

However, in a document obtained by The PUNCH, JAMB noted that institutions are not allowed to go below their self-prescribed benchmark score.

“No institution can admit below its self-prescribed minimum score,” the board warned.

In a list of prescribed minimum scores, our correspondent observed that a total of 153 universities submitted their prescribed minimum scores for admissions out of which eight universities recommended 120 as a benchmark for admission. However, going by the board’s standards, they are not allowed to admit students until they up their minimum score to 140.

Further analysis revealed that 11 institutions, including Pan-Atlantic University, which prescribed 220 as the minimum benchmark score, won’t admit below 220; Covenant University, 200; Obafemi Awolowo University, 200; and University of Lagos, 200, won’t go with the 140 recommended benchmark by the policy meeting.

Others like Afe Babalola University, 180; Ahmadu Bello University, 180; Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, 180; Lagos State University of Science and Technology, 180; Nigerian Police Academy, 180; Nigerian University of Technology, 180 and the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, 180 will also not admit students below 180 owing to the directive by JAMB.

The PUNCH reports that there have been controversies over the announcement of the minimum benchmark score.

Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, noted that while the general benchmark score for admission stands at 140, institutions, like the University of Lagos, which submitted 200, cannot admit below the submitted score.

“Unilag isn’t even allowed to admit 199. They can’t admit lesser than 200 because that is what they submitted. The general benchmark is 140, which means no university can admit below that score; they can’t admit 120, 130. Also, you can’t admit below what you submitted as your benchmark. So Unilag can’t even admit 199,” Benjamin said.