The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and tertiary education stakeholders have set new deadlines for the 2026 admission exercise across Nigerian higher institutions.
The decision was reached at the 2026 JAMB Annual Policy Meeting on Admissions held in Abuja on Monday.
Under the new timeline, public universities are to conclude admissions on or before Oct. 31, 2026, while private universities have until Nov. 30, 2026.
Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education are expected to complete their admission processes by Dec. 31, 2026.
The policy meeting also approved a minimum admissible score of 150 for universities and colleges of nursing, while polytechnics will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.
Stakeholders also agreed that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and non-engineering agriculture courses are now exempted from the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The board further confirmed that the minimum entry age into tertiary institutions in Nigeria remains 16 years.
Officials say the measures are aimed at streamlining the admission process and ensuring uniformity across institutions nationwide.
