Gaining admission into a federal university in Nigeria begins with meeting a university’s cut-off mark – the minimum UTME (JAMB) score required to qualify for admission. In 2024, JAMB reaffirmed that 140 remains the national floor for university admission, but stressed that each institution sets its own cut-off. In practice, most federal universities raise this bar substantially, especially for competitive programs. For instance, UNILAG’s cut-off is set at 200 (for first-choice candidates), far above the 140 minimum. Cut-off marks can vary widely by department and school, reflecting the level of competition. Medicine, Law and Engineering often demand the highest scores, while courses like Education or less competitive arts and agriculture programs may admit students with lower UTME marks. Understanding how these marks are set – and what to do if you fall short – is key for hopeful students. We break down the 2024/2025 cut-off marks across major federal universities, explain how they’re determined, and offer tips if your score is below the line.

JAMB’s General Cut-Off vs. School Cut-Offs

JAMB’s role is to recommend a minimum score; it does not impose a uniform cut-off for all schools. In the 2023 policy meeting, stakeholders pegged 140 as the absolute minimum UTME score for university admission. (Polytechnics and colleges of education use 100.) Crucially, JAMB emphasized that “institutions… are to determine their own admission cut-off mark”. In other words, while JAMB tells universities “you cannot go below 140,” each university’s admissions committee – often led by the Vice Chancellor and deans – sets higher cut-offs based on available spaces, applicant performance, and departmental quotas.

• Key point: JAMB’s 140 is a floor, not a ceiling. Each federal university can (and often does) raise its cut-off above 140
• Admissions factors include: the number of applicants for each program, average UTME scores of applicants, faculty demand, NUC regulations, and institutional capacity.
• For example, at the 2022/23 admissions meeting, it was noted that “every institution has the right to fix its own cut-off mark even up to 220”, as long as it stays above the JAMB minimum.

Thus, before applying, students should check each university’s official cut-off. Below we summarize the 2024/2025 UTME cut-offs for major federal universities and their key departments.

Major Federal Universities: UTME Cut-Off Marks

University of Lagos (UNILAG) – UNILAG is one of Nigeria’s most competitive universities. For 2024/2025, it requires a UTME score of 200 and above for first-choice candidates. This high cut-off reflects UNILAG’s prestige and the popularity of its programs (especially Medicine, Law, Engineering, etc.). In practice, UNILAG admits only candidates who met this benchmark. Photo: The main gate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

UNILAG publishes departmental cut-offs in its Post-UTME screening, but for UTME eligibility the floor is 200. In other words, all applicants (Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences, etc.) must have scored at least 200 in UTME to be considered. In previous years, Medicine and Surgery at UNILAG required very high entrance scores (often nearly perfect), and other faculties like Law and Pharm.D also drew top scorers. The takeaway is that UNILAG is highly selective – if your UTME score is below 200, you would not qualify for any UNILAG program this cycle.

University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) – UNN’s cut-off is more moderate. For 2024/2025, UNN requires a minimum 160 in UTME for all courses This means any candidate who scored 160 or higher (and chose UNN as first choice) is eligible to sit for UNN’s Post-UTME screening. (UNN explicitly invites applicants with UTME ≥160 across faculties – Arts, Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, etc.) This reflects UNN’s broad intake; while still competitive in certain programs, many popular courses (like English, Mass Comm, Economics) have cut-offs around this level.

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) – ABU’s 2024/2025 UTME cut-off is 180. Candidates needed at least 180 (with ABU as first choice) to qualify for ABU’s Post-UTME. ABU is known for a large campus and many faculties, but still sets a higher bar than the 140 minimum. Professional courses there (Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, Engineering) typically attract top applicants with scores near 200; however the official benchmark remains 180.

University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) – Similar to ABU, UNILORIN set a 180 UTME cutoff for 2024/2025. All candidates scoring 180+ (who chose UNILORIN first) were eligible for admission screening. UNILORIN is recognized for its strong Science and Engineering programs, and in past years its cut-offs hovered around this mark. Non-competitive courses (Education, some Arts) still needed 180 or above to get in; so there’s no lower departmental variance in UNILORIN’s policy.

Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) – FUTO is known for focus on tech and applied sciences. Its general UTME cut-off is 150, which is relatively low compared to some federal universities. In fact, FUTO’s baseline is one of the lowest among major federal universities. However, FUTO sets higher departmental cut-offs for certain programs. The admission scheme is tiered:

• Most programs (Science, Technology, basic engineering, Agriculture) require 150 in UTME.
• Higher-demand programs (ICT, Computer Engineering, most Engineering, and many Health Technology courses) require 170. For example, a Computer Science or Electrical Engineering applicant needed 170.
• Medicine and Surgery requires 200, the highest cutoff at FUTO.

This means that if you scored 150–169, you could gain admission to the broad list of FUTO courses (Biochemistry, Building Technology, Agriculture, etc.). But to study Architecture, Engineering or Medicine, you needed 170 or 200 respectively. FUTO illustrates how a relatively low general cut-off can mask much higher departmental requirements.

Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) – FUTA’s minimum UTME cut-off is 180. All candidates who chose FUTA as first choice and scored 180 or above were eligible for FUTA’s admission process. As a premier tech university, FUTA’s programs in engineering, computer science, and technology have become increasingly competitive. (By comparison, FUTA used to require 150 in earlier years.) There is no lower-tier departmental cut-off at FUTA – the 180 mark applies across the board.

Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) – FUTMINNA’s 2024/2025 baseline is 150. This means all first-choice candidates with UTME ≥150 are eligible. However, FUTMINNA also applies higher departmental cut-offs for specific courses (reflecting its engineering and tech focus). For example, Architecture at FUTMINNA demands 200, while most engineering programs (Civil, Chemical, Mechanical) require 170 (with Computer Engineering at 180). Many science and tech courses need between 160–180, whereas courses like Agriculture and Wildlife remain at 150. In short, FUTMINNA sets 150 overall, but architecture and high-tier engineering programs require higher scores.

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) – As an agriculture-focused university, FUNAAB set a 160 UTME cut-off for 2024/2025. All faculty programs (Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Food Technology, etc.) admitted students with 160 and above. This cut-off is higher than the 140 minimum, reflecting competitive demand in agricultural science fields. Engineering and science courses at FUNAAB (e.g. Electrical Engineering, Civil Eng) also fall under this 160 benchmark.

University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) – UNIPORT requires 160 in UTME. In 2024, any candidate scoring 160 or higher (with UNIPORT as first choice) qualified for UNIPORT’s Post-UTME screening. This single cut-off applied to all departments — Engineering, Agriculture, Education, etc. UNIPORT’s image is one of being “Entrepreneurial”, and its 160 cut-off is on par with many mid-tier federal universities. Photo: University of Port Harcourt campus signboard.

Other Federal Universities: Many other federal institutions follow similar patterns. For context, the oldest universities – UI (Ibadan), OAU (Ile-Ife) and UNILAG (Lagos) – all have 200 as cut-offs (UI and OAU also required 200 in 2024). Federal tech universities (e.g. FUTA, FUTO) often hover around 150–180 as above. National Open University (NOUN) and some newer federal universities have varying policies (NOUN uses distance-learning criteria). But key takeaway: Medicine, Law, Pharm, Engineering, Architecture, Computer Science usually sit at the upper end (often 200 or above), whereas fields like Mass Comm, Social Sciences, Education, Basic Sciences often fill the middle range (150–180).

How Cut-Off Marks Are Determined

University cut-offs reflect supply and demand. After JAMB results, each university convenes its central admissions committee (often led by the Registrar and Deans) to set cut-off marks. They consider factors such as:

• Applicant performance: If most candidates scored low, the cut-off might drop; if there were many high scorers, it may rise.
• Admission quota: The number of available spaces in each faculty. Highly subscribed courses (Medicine, Law, Eng.) receive many applicants, so cut-offs are set high to limit intake. Less subscribed programs have lower cut-offs.
• Academic standards: Universities aim to admit students likely to succeed. Prestigious programs often have higher cut-offs to maintain quality.
• Catchment policy: Some federal universities give modest discounts to in-state applicants, affecting “merit” vs “catchment” cut-offs. For example, UNILAG has a catchment cut-off lower than its merit cut-off, but still above 200 (not shown here).

These decisions happen at policy meetings with JAMB and the FME, but the university decides final figures. The JAMB chairman emphasized that beyond the 140 minimum, “whatever you determine as your admission cut-off mark is your decision”. In short, cut-offs are not random – they are formulas of competition. A year with many high-scorers and low slots will see cut-offs increase. Conversely, if candidate performance dips, cut-offs may fall. Universities also periodically review their admission criteria (e.g., some now include post-UTME test scores and O’level results to finalize who gets admitted).

Competitive vs. Non-Competitive Courses

Some courses are notorious for their high cut-offs: Medicine & Surgery, Dentistry, Law, and top Engineering fields typically demand the highest UTME scores. For example, Alex Ekwueme Federal University (AE-FUNAI) set Medicine and Law at 220 UTME for 2024, even though its general cut-off was 150. Similarly, at FUTMINNA Architecture needs 200, Civil Engineering 170, whereas Animal Biology needed only 150. At FUTO, Medicine required 200 while Architecture and Engineering required 170.

By contrast, “non-competitive” courses like Education, performing arts, and some social science programs often have cut-offs closer to the bare minimum. For instance, FUTMINNA’s Building and Estate Management needed only 150. AE-FUNAI’s Faculty of Education programs required 150. In general:

• High-demand (competitive) courses: Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, full-year Engineering programs, certain science courses (e.g. Microbiology, Geology) typically see cut-offs of 180–200+. JAMB’s recommended table even noted Pharmacy and Dentistry at around 200 in general practice.
• Moderate-demand courses: Business-related courses, Mass Communication, some science/tech (like Computer Science, Biochemistry) often range 160–180. Many engineering courses also fall here.
• Lower-demand courses: Education specialties, some arts/humanities, agriculture programs often start at 140–150. For example, agricultural courses in FUTMINNA needed 150, and AE-FUNAI’s agriculture cut-off was 150.

These competitive differences mean a student with, say, 160 UTME might easily get into Social Sciences or Basic Sciences, but would fall short for Medicine or Law at top schools.

JAMB Cut-Off vs. Departmental/Post-UTME Cut-Off

It’s important to distinguish two concepts: JAMB (UTME) cut-off and post-UTME/departmental cut-off.

• JAMB cut-off mark is simply the UTME score threshold set at the beginning (per school or per department). We’ve focused on these in the sections above (e.g. UNILAG’s UTME cut-off of 200). Meeting this score means you are eligible to apply to that university.
• Departmental (Post-UTME) cut-off refers to the score required after the university’s own entrance exam and screening. Many universities require candidates to take a post-UTME test or submit an aggregate (combining UTME, post-UTME, and O’level scores). They then set another cut-off on that aggregate. For example, UNILAG’s law program may require not only 200 UTME, but also a high post-UTME score (often manifested as an aggregate like 80%). These post-UTME cut-offs vary by department and year.

In summary: JAMB’s role ends at eligibility. After that, each university – and each department within it – applies its own screening and sets final admission thresholds. JAMB’s registrar noted that universities “will only determine the minimum” and can set their own cut-off marks. Thus, students must clear the UTME hurdle and the university’s internal hurdle to gain admission.

What If Your Score Is Below the Cut-Off?

Scoring below a course’s cut-off can be disappointing, but there are options:

1. Change Course or Institution: Consider switching to a related program with a lower cut-off, or apply to a different university where your score qualifies. Many colleges offer change of course/institution after UTME. For instance, if you aimed for Medicine (cut-off ~200) but got 180, you might switch to Medical Laboratory Science or a university with a lower threshold. See our guide on change of course or institution at myschoolportal.net/blog for step-by-step instructions.
2. Second Choice/ Supplementary Admission: If you listed second-choice universities in JAMB, check if your score meets their cut-offs. Sometimes getting in via your second choice is a viable route. Also, some universities run supplementary admissions later in the year.
3. Post-UTME Prep: If your UTME was just below the cut-off (e.g. 175 vs a 180 target), intensive preparation for the post-UTME exam can still boost your chances, as many schools consider aggregate scores. Strengthening your O’level portfolio (extra good grades) can also help in aggregate calculations. Visit our blog for post-UTME prep tips, practice questions, and exam strategies.
4. Retake the UTME: If you are far below cut-off and really set on a particular course, you may choose to reapply next year. Use this time to improve your subject knowledge and UTME practice.
5. Consider Other Pathways: Look into related careers or universities abroad. Some state or private institutions have lower cut-offs. Vocational and polytechnic options are also available for many fields.

💡 Tip: If your UTME score is below your desired university’s cut-off, don’t despair! Explore alternative paths. For example, MySchoolPortal offers guides on Changing Course or Institution and Post-UTME Preparation. These resources can help you navigate options like switching programs, improving exam scores, or choosing other schools where your score qualifies.

Cut-off marks can seem like rigid barriers, but remember they are guidelines. Many factors go into final admission decisions (including sometimes catchment quotas or catchment-area advantages). Keep your options open, use reliable guides, and focus on strengthening your profile. Good luck!

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