The Federal Government and heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria have approved new minimum admissible scores for admissions into universities, colleges of nursing, and polytechnics for the 2026 academic session.
The decision was announced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, at the ongoing 2026 admission policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.
According to the resolutions reached by education stakeholders and heads of tertiary institutions, the minimum admissible score for universities and colleges of nursing has been fixed at 150, while polytechnics will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.
Stakeholders at the meeting also agreed that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and non-engineering agriculture courses would no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The exemption, according to officials, is aimed at encouraging more students to enrol in education and agriculture-related programmes considered vital to national development.
The policy meeting further reaffirmed that the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions across the country remains 16 years.
The resolutions are expected to guide admission processes into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and related institutions for the 2026 academic year.
