If you just wrote the 2025 JAMB exam and are anxiously waiting for your preferred university to release its cut-off mark, you're not alone. Every year, thousands of admission seekers wonder why universities delay releasing their admission cut-off marks. In this blog post, we’ll explain what happens behind the scenes after the JAMB exams, and why the delay is a normal part of the Nigerian university admission process.

Understanding the Role of JAMB in Setting Cut-Off Marks

Immediately after JAMB conducts its annual UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination), it doesn’t stop there. The next critical stage is the JAMB Policy Meeting, a gathering that shapes the entire admission process for the year.

What is the JAMB Policy Meeting?

The JAMB policy meeting is an annual event where key stakeholders in Nigeria’s tertiary education system come together to set national cut-off marks and admission guidelines. These stakeholders include:

  • Federal and State universities
  • Polytechnics and Monotechnics
  • Colleges of Education
  • Ministry of Education officials
  • Regulatory bodies like NUC, NBTE, and NCCE

Before this meeting, JAMB requests each institution to submit their proposed cut-off mark based on their internal admission policies, academic strength, and demand.

How Are Cut-Off Marks Determined?

Contrary to what many believe, cut-off marks are not decided by JAMB alone. Instead, they are determined through voting during the policy meeting.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each institution proposes its preferred cut-off mark.
  2. During the meeting, these proposals are discussed, and a minimum national benchmark is voted upon.
  3. The final cut-off marks for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education are approved.

So until this meeting takes place, no institution can officially release its cut-off point for the year.

What Happens After the Policy Meeting?

Once the national cut-off marks are agreed upon:

  1. Universities begin to announce their Post-UTME screening forms.
  2. Each institution sets its own internal cut-off point (which may be higher than the national benchmark).
  3. Admission processes officially begin on the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
  4. Candidates are offered admission based on merit, catchment area, and other institutional criteria.

Why the Delay is Normal, and What You Should Do Now

So, if you’ve been wondering “Why hasn’t UNILAG, UNN, EBSU or UI released their cut-off marks yet?”, now you know the reason, they’re all waiting for the outcome of the JAMB policy meeting.

Here’s what you should do in the meantime:

  • Keep checking JAMB’s official website for policy meeting announcements.
  • Prepare for Post-UTME, as it comes up shortly after the meeting.
  • Monitor your CAPS portal regularly once the admission window opens.
  • Avoid fake news and unreliable sources claiming to know your school’s cut-off mark before the meeting.

TALK TO AN ADMISSION EXPERT