Why UNILAG and OAU Can't Lower Admission Cut-Off Below 200 – JAMB
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| Why UNILAG and OAU Can't Lower Admission Cut-Off Below 200 – JAMB |
Four Nigerian universities that submitted their benchmark scores for admissions ahead of the 2024 policy meeting are not permitted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to admit candidates who scored below 200 in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), according to findings by The PUNCH.
The UTME, organized by JAMB, is the only acceptable examination for individuals seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Although 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 typically consists of four subject combinations, with each subject marked out of 100, giving a total of 400 marks.
While students can choose their subject combination based on their chosen course of study, the use of English is compulsory for all students seeking admission into the country’s tertiary education system.
The 2024 policy meeting set 140 as the minimum benchmark score for university admissions. While JAMB noted that each university is free to set its own benchmark score, it emphasized that no candidate should be admitted with a score below 140.
However, in a document obtained by The PUNCH, JAMB stated 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, it was observed that a total of 153 universities submitted their prescribed minimum scores for admissions, with eight universities recommending 120 as a benchmark for admission. However, according to the board’s standards, they are not allowed to admit students until they raise their minimum score to 140.
Further analysis revealed that 11 institutions, including Pan-Atlantic University, which set 220 as the minimum benchmark score, will not admit below 220; Covenant University, 200; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), 200; and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), 200, will not adhere to the 140 recommended benchmark by the policy meeting.
Others, such as 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 due to JAMB's directive.
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 less 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 or 130. Also, you can’t admit below what you submitted as your benchmark. So UNILAG can’t even admit 199,” Benjamin said.
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