The Lagos State Government has faulted the decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to approve 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into universities for the 2026 academic session, describing the benchmark as too low for institutions in the state.
According to the government, Lagos, as a leading educational hub in the country, cannot lower its standards to align with states facing educational disadvantages.
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, stated this during a ministerial press briefing, insisting that none of the state-owned universities would admit candidates who scored below 185 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“To us in Lagos State, the cut-off marks approved by JAMB look too low for our universities. None of our three universities is admitting any student who scored below 185 during the UTME,” Sule said.
“For JAMB to announce 150 as the cut-off mark from the 400 obtainable marks in the UTME for this year’s admission seekers is very low. JAMB decides to capture the six geo-political zones, and Lagos cannot be considered educationally disadvantaged to the extent of bringing its cut-off mark down to meet up with what Sokoto or Zamfara states require.”
The commissioner maintained that the state government would continue to strengthen investment in the education sector through expansion of tertiary institutions and infrastructure development.
He disclosed that the establishment of additional universities by the Lagos State Government was aimed at creating more opportunities for admission seekers and improving access to quality higher education.
“We will continue to expand our infrastructure in the education sector. Bringing our universities from one to three is still part of what the state governor is doing to provide more education platforms and opportunities for Lagos residents,” he said.
“And increasing it to four is still part of this effort by the state government to give all admission seekers opportunity to get tertiary education in Lagos,” Sule added.
Earlier, JAMB approved 150 as the minimum benchmark for admission into universities nationwide during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions held in Abuja on Monday.
The policy meeting, attended by the Minister of Education, vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and other stakeholders in the tertiary education sector, also approved admission benchmarks for polytechnics and colleges of education.
Speaking during the meeting, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, warned tertiary institutions against conducting admissions outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), managed by JAMB.
According to him, admissions conducted outside the platform would be regarded as illegal and would not be recognised by the Federal Government.
“Admissions conducted outside this framework are illegal and will not be recognized,” the minister stated.
Alausa warned that institutions found to be bypassing CAPS risk severe sanctions, including possible suspension of operating licences.
He stressed that irregular admission practices undermine transparency, merit and public confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
The minister also disclosed that he had resisted several attempts by some institutions to secure approval for admissions conducted outside the approved process.
“I have resisted many attempts at condoning illegality in the admissions process. I will not be a party to such actions,” he said.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to enforcing strict compliance with admission regulations, warning that no institution found violating the policy would be spared sanctions.
