JAMB announces 160 as UTME cut-off mark for federal varsities

Key stakeholders in federal universities across the country on Tuesday pegged 160 as the minimum bench mark for admission of candidates for the 2019/2020 academic year.

The decision was reached at Joint 19th Policy Meeting on Admissions to tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The event held in Gbongan, Osun.

Our correspondent reports that the stakeholders also unanimously agreed to carry out admission registration procedures for institutions of first choice of candidates in all public universities from Aug. 21 to Nov. 16.

They also agreed that all state and private universities would peg minimum admission benchmark on 140 and above.

The admission registration process for candidate’s institutions of second choice will take place from Nov. 17 to Dec. 17, according to them.

They said that the minimum UTME score of candidates for public polytechnics should be 120 and above while that of their private counterparts was pegged at 110 and above.

The minimum cut-off mark for the colleges of education was also agreed on 110 and above.

The stakeholders also agreed to extend admission registration procedure for private universities to Feb. 15, 2020.

“The admission process would be guided by the approved institutional/programmes cut-off marks and minimum UTME score as submitted by the respective institutions.

“The minimum UTME score for admission will be as prescribed by each institution subject to the respective National Minimum UTME score,” the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede told the stakeholders.

According to him, admission for the 2019/2020 academic session would be conducted on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

He added that the principal participants would include himself as the Chairman, head of tertiary institutions, JAMB’s director of admissions, its desk officers and the candidates.

He said that the policy guidelines for the 2019 admission as approved by the policy meeting and the directives by the minister of education would be formally communicated to all institutions on or before July 1.

According to him, documents for the 2019 admission exercise will include the 2019 UTME/DIrect Entry results, JAMB’s 2018 admission quota as prescribed by the respective regulatory bodies of the various tertiary institutions and the 2019 UTME brochure as published on IBASS.

He added that it would include the guidelines on admission into tertiary institutions as prescribed by the proprietors (federal, state and private).

According to Oloyede, institutions are also to recommend candidates for admission, after presenting to the board, through the CAPS, the approved general quota for each institution and the distribution to the various programmes.

“Other information needed to be forwarded to CAPS are the UTME score for each programme, minimum direct entry qualification grades for Direct Entry candidates as well as components of cut-off marks and the allotted score for each component.

“The institutions are also required to recommend the cut-off date for the first and second choice admission of candidates after which no result upload nor chance into the institution as first choice will be allowed,” he said.

He added that supplementary admissions could be allowed.

Oloyede said that any institution interested in conducting any form of post UTME screening could do so, but warned that the gross charge for such screening must not exceed N2,000.

“It is not allowed for any institution to make post UTME candidates, directly or indirectly incur further related expenses such as administrative and bank charges.

“Such should be at no additional cost to the candidates.

“JAMB will provide for free, to all institutions, access to photo images and finger-print data of all candidates in order to curb the substitution of candidates.

Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono, commended the board for efforts to fight examination malpractice.

Echono, who was represented by the Director, Tertiary Education in the ministry, Mr Ojo Samuel, said that the recent investigations carried out candidates suspected to have been involved in malpractice in recent UTME was a pointer that the examination industry must re-strategise in order to sanitise the system.

He urged the board not to leave any stone unturned in a bid to ensure that all culprits and collaborators were brought to justice.

“I, therefore, urge that all institutions must ensure that candidates seeking admissions must be thoroughly screened to ensure that they are the real owners of the results they carry.

“All institutions must also ensure that the matriculation list on the CAPS are appropriate in content and in time.

“I want to plead with JAMB and heads of tertiary institutions to ensure that candidates with special needs such as the blind are considered for admission, provided they meet the minimum requirements,” Echono said.

The meeting also exempted blind candidates and those who sat for UTME in prisons and foreign countries from post UTME test.