The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the official cut-off marks for the 2026 admission cycle, prompting reactions from candidates and stakeholders. Among those who responded was a young man who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) four times without securing admission.
JAMB Announces 2026 Cut-Off Marks
During its policy meeting held on 11 May 2026, JAMB revealed the minimum admissible scores for tertiary institutions. According to the official statement from @JAMBHQ, the cut-off marks are as follows: universities and colleges of nursing require a minimum score of 150, while polytechnics require 100.
Man Shares Frustration Over Low Cut-Off
A Twitter user identified as @Pristine_Alex expressed his disappointment in response to the announcement. He revealed that despite scoring above 180 in all four attempts at the UTME, he could not gain admission into any university. He remarked that the current cut-off marks indicate a decline in the value of education, stating, "After I suffered writing JAMB 4 times, scoring above 180 in all, and still I couldn't gain admission. Our education system is dying gradually. These Gen Z are very lucky."
Public Reactions to the Cut-Off Marks
The announcement sparked widespread debate on social media, with many users questioning the implications of such low cut-off marks. @_Daytonaa commented, "These people do not actually care about us, they just want to make money from sales of Post UTME form and all. My uni once admitted more students into a department than the approved quota allowed."
@oaf_sage criticized the low standard, saying, "It's time to wrap it up. Which exams body sets the passing grade to 37.5% for any course at all, let alone nursing? Keep it at that cut off and more students will fail because nobody put in the work once the bar is low."
@BlessedGlory_1 expressed concern about the future, stating, "So this boy in my house that hardly picked up his book and got 161 can also put in for a university in Nigeria. How would the coming generation look like my God?"
@Abdulrah_maan questioned the logic behind admitting candidates with low scores, writing, "Why should anyone that scores 150 or 100 out of a possible score of 400 be admitted into an institution of learning? We play too much in this country."
@ChidozieUk60956 blamed the government, saying, "THIS IS CRAZY!!! SO LIKE THAT THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARD IS FALLING... THEY HAD TO REDUCE CUT-OFF MARK TO ADMIT MORE STUDENTS... APC YOU DO THIS ONE!!"
@TeeTomes added, "Why does the standard of education keep declining? It's honestly becoming very concerning. The system keeps encouraging these students not to put in enough effort, once there's mass failure, the solution seems to be lowering educational standards. It's truly appalling."
JAMB Policy Changes for 2027
In related news, JAMB announced that starting from 2027, candidates seeking admission into education programmes will no longer be required to sit for the UTME. This decision was also made during the 2026 policy meeting in Abuja, where education stakeholders approved new admission guidelines.
The 2026 cut-off marks have reignited discussions about the quality of education in Nigeria, with many calling for a review of the admission process to ensure that standards are maintained.
