"New policy adjustments mean candidates seeking admission into specific Education and Agriculture non-engineering courses may no longer require UTME scores by 2027."
Following the 2026 Policy Meeting chaired by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced significant reforms to the admission landscape. A core highlight of the meeting is the upcoming exemption for candidates applying for Education-related and Agriculture non-engineering programmes at Colleges of Education starting from the 2027 academic session.
While this policy is designed to take full effect in 2027, the current 2026 admission exercise remains governed by existing benchmarks. Universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences will continue to maintain a minimum cut-off mark of 150, while polytechnics are permitted to set a minimum of 100. The board clarified that these measures are intended to boost enrollment in critical sectors that drive national development, such as teaching and food security.
The policy meeting also addressed the issue of candidate volume, noting that over 2.2 million students sat for the 2026 CBT. The board reaffirmed that for the current year, all standard admission procedures, including the requirement for UTME scores for all university and polytechnic candidates, remain unchanged. Students are encouraged to stay abreast of institutional-specific updates as the admission window opens in the coming weeks. The ministry aims to simplify access to higher education, particularly for courses where national shortages of graduates exist.
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