The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board will on Monday, May 11, hold its 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions in Abuja, where it is expected to fix the minimum Jamb Cut Off Mark for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The meeting will take place at the Body of Benchers Auditorium, Plot 688, Institute and Research District, FCC Phase III, Jabi, Abuja, and is expected to bring together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, registrars and their admission officers. JAMB said in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, that the gathering is the board’s annual forum for deciding minimum tolerable UTME marks, admission guidelines and other policies that govern tertiary admissions.
Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa is expected to unveil major policy directions at the meeting, which is also expected to set the tone for the 2026/2027 admission exercise. Regulatory bodies due at the event include the National Universities Commission, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the National Board for Technical Education, while goodwill messages are expected from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the National Youth Service Corps and other stakeholders.
The annual policy meeting matters because it is where the benchmark for entry into universities, colleges of education and polytechnics is shaped before the next admission cycle begins. This year’s edition will also feature the 6th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Awards, adding a public recognition element to a meeting that usually centers on standards and compliance.
That is where the friction lies. JAMB says the meeting will formally set the tone for the 2026/2027 admission exercise while impressing on attendees the need to adhere strictly to stipulated guidelines. The decisions taken in Abuja on Monday will not just be procedural. They will determine the score line students must clear, and the institutions that must live with it.
