A wave of criticism has trailed the recently concluded 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Policy Meeting, where Vice Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts of tertiary institutions across Nigeria voted to lower the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cut-off marks for admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The meeting, which is a statutory gathering of all heads of institutions and key stakeholders in the country’s education sector, resulted in benchmark scores that many have described as alarming and indicative of a steady decline in academic standards.
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Transportation, Daura, Professor Umar Adam Katsayal, mni, set the tone for the meeting by moving a motion that the minimum admissible score for universities be pegged at 140 out of 400. This motion was promptly supported by Professor Ifeanyi Ike, Vice Chancellor of Madonna University, Nigeria, who endorsed the same 140 mark as reasonable. With no opposition from other Vice Chancellors, the motion was adopted as the consensus.
However, not all university heads agreed. Professor Owunari Georgewill, Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, proposed a cut-off mark of 150, while Professor Ayodeji Agboola, Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, suggested 160. Despite these higher recommendations, the overwhelming majority voted for 140, establishing it as the national university benchmark.
For polytechnics, the debate was even more controversial. Professor James Okoro, Rector of Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu, moved a motion for a 100/400 cut-off mark. This was backed by Dr. Sunny Kehinde Osenu, Rector of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, who even advocated for 90. A show of hands revealed a dominant preference for the 100 mark.
The situation was more alarming among colleges of education. Only the Provost of Adeyemi College of Education stood firm in proposing a cut-off mark of 150. However, this proposal found no support. Dr. Abdulkareem Bello, Provost of Federal College of Education, Technical, Bichi, moved a motion for a 100 score, which was seconded by Dr. Jimoh Lasisi Ayanda, Acting Provost of Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun. Even more shocking was the motion from Dr. Emmanuel Ikenyiri, Provost of Federal College of Education, Omoku, who proposed an 80 mark as acceptable.
These decisions have raised critical questions about the future of Nigeria’s educational standards. Many observers have questioned why such low scores are being used as thresholds for admission into higher institutions, especially at a time when Nigerian students studying abroad continue to excel academically. The decision, stakeholders say, seems to undermine years of advocacy for better academic performance and merit-based admission.
Critics argue that these low thresholds are not only demoralizing to high-performing students but also a reflection of systemic failure in education. There are speculations that financial pressures and declining student enrollment may be influencing institutions to support lower cut-off marks in order to attract more candidates and generate revenue.
Professor Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, expressed his reservations during the meeting, emphasizing the contradiction in lowering cut-off marks for polytechnics and colleges of education while graduates from these institutions demand parity with university graduates. “You are the ones saying HND is equal to a degree, yet you propose 100 marks as admissible while universities adopt 140. What are we really saying?” he questioned.
The Registrar also called attention to the broader implications of the policy, stating that it raises serious concerns about the quality of future teachers, engineers, and leaders being trained in Nigerian institutions. “When the entry bar is this low, what kind of graduates are we producing?” he added.
It is important to note that while JAMB sets minimum admissible scores, individual institutions are free to impose higher thresholds based on their own internal policies. Nonetheless, the policy meeting’s decisions often influence national perceptions and guide the admission frameworks of many institutions.
Some have justified the lower cut-off marks as a way to bridge educational inequality, noting that not all regions have equal access to quality secondary education. However, critics maintain that addressing inequality should not translate into compromising academic standards across the board.
Students and parents alike have voiced disappointment at the development. A parent, Mr. Olusola Adeyemi, whose son scored 320 in the UTME, questioned the rationale: “If someone with 100 can be admitted into the same program as my son, what’s the incentive to work hard? We’re normalizing mediocrity.”
As the debate rages on, educationists and policymakers are calling for an overhaul of the entire admission policy process. They argue that admission into tertiary institutions must be based on competence, merit, and readiness, rather than the arbitrary consensus of heads of institutions.
Until such reforms are implemented, the 2025 policy meeting will be remembered as the year Nigerian academic leaders publicly endorsed the normalization of lowered expectations in higher education and the country is left to grapple with the long-term consequences.
