Why UNILAG and OAU Maintain a Cut-off Score of 200 – JAMB Explains**

**Why UNILAG and OAU Maintain a Cut-off Score of 200 – JAMB Explains**

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified why the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) will not lower their admission cut-off scores below 200 for the 2024 academic year, despite the general minimum benchmark set by JAMB.

FIRENATIONREPORTERS discovered that four Nigerian universities, including UNILAG and OAU, are not permitted by JAMB to admit candidates who scored below 200 in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The UTME, organized by JAMB, is the mandatory examination for individuals seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions. While some institutions may conduct post-UTME screenings, admission cannot be granted without a verified JAMB result. The exam covers four subjects, each scored out of 100, for a total of 400 marks. English is a compulsory subject for all candidates.

At the 2024 policy meeting, JAMB set 140 as the minimum cut-off score for university admissions. Although universities are allowed to set their own higher benchmarks, they cannot admit students with scores below 140.

A document obtained by FIRENATIONREPORTERS shows that JAMB insists institutions must adhere to their self-prescribed minimum scores. For instance, UNILAG, which set its cut-off at 200, cannot admit students with scores below this threshold, even if the general minimum is 140.

The list of submitted minimum scores from 153 universities revealed that while some institutions set their cut-off as low as 120, JAMB requires them to raise it to at least 140. Institutions like Pan-Atlantic University (220), Covenant University (200), OAU (200), and UNILAG (200) will not admit students scoring below their stated benchmarks.

Other institutions such as Afe Babalola University, Ahmadu Bello University, and the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, set their cut-off scores at 180 and will adhere to this standard.

JAMB's spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, reiterated in an interview that while the general minimum cut-off is 140, universities like UNILAG, which set their cut-off at 200, are not allowed to admit students scoring even 199, as they must follow the score they submitted.