Many Nigerians are not happy with the new 150 cut-off mark for university admission set by JAMB and other education stakeholders. Out of 400 total marks, students who score just 150 — which is less than 40% — can now be admitted to university. For a country like Nigeria, which wants to grow and compete globally, this decision appears to be a celebration of failure.
At the 2025 Admissions Policy Meeting in Abuja, JAMB, the Minister of Education, vice-chancellors, and heads of schools agreed that the minimum scores for university admission, nursing schools, polytechnics and colleges of education would be 150, 140, and 100, respectively. However, many Nigerians believe this is a clear indication that our education standards are deteriorating rapidly. In the 1980s and 1990s, students had to score between 180 and 200 or more before they could even dream of entering university. Now, even some private universities are admitting students with just 120 marks, and still graduating them with First Class degrees.
This kind of system does not encourage hard work, nor can it produce globally competitive graduates. Moreover, it pushes serious students aside and fills our universities with people who may not be ready for the academic rigour. In countries such as the UK and the US, students must demonstrate strong academic records to be admitted to university. Here, we are lowering the bar because we want to fill classrooms. Experts are calling on the government to stop politicising education. If we genuinely want to develop, we must go back to rewarding merit and raising standards.
