A female candidate seeking admission to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos has emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board announced during its 2026 Policy Meeting in Abuja that Owoeye Jesudunsin scored 372 out of 400 to top the nationwide examination.
Jesudunsin, who hails from Ekiti State and sat the examination in Ogun State, applied to study MBBS at UNILAG.
She was followed by Enwere Ikenna from Imo State, who scored 370 and applied to Nile University to study Computer Science. Bamisile Emmanuel from Ondo State came third with 369 and selected the Federal University of Technology, Akure for Software Engineering.
Other top candidates scored between 367 and 368 marks, with preferred courses including Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
JAMB disclosed that more than two million candidates participated in the 2026 UTME across Nigeria.
Universities Retain 150 Benchmark
Stakeholders at the policy meeting also agreed to retain 150 as the minimum benchmark score for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Polytechnics and colleges of education retained 100 as their benchmark, while colleges of nursing maintained 150.
Despite the national benchmark, institutions are still allowed to set higher cut-off marks for their programmes.
JAMB explained that no tertiary institution is permitted to admit candidates below the approved minimum scores.
The meeting was attended by vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and major stakeholders in the education sector.
JAMB Announces Admission Deadlines
The examination body also fixed deadlines for admission exercises across tertiary institutions.
According to JAMB, all public universities must complete admissions on or before October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026.
Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education are expected to conclude admissions before December 31, 2026.
JAMB warned that institutions that fail to meet the deadlines risk losing access to candidates on the Central Admissions Processing System.
The board also introduced a four-week deadline for candidates to accept admission offers after approval.
It stated that candidates who fail to accept admission within the period may lose the offer and could become ineligible for future admissions under the “refusal to accept” category.
FG Warns Against Illegal Admissions
Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, warned institutions against conducting admissions outside the CAPS platform.
According to him, admissions carried out outside JAMB’s official process are illegal and will not be recognised by the Federal Government.
He stressed that institutions operating parallel admission systems could face sanctions, including suspension of operating licences.
The minister said the government was determined to restore credibility, fairness and transparency to Nigeria’s admission system.
FG Retains 16 Years Admission Age
The Federal Government also retained 16 years as the minimum admission age into tertiary institutions.
Alausa said the decision followed consultations and policy reviews aimed at balancing academic readiness with inclusiveness.
He added that exceptional cases involving gifted students would be handled through clearly defined guidelines.
NCE Candidates Exempted From UTME
The minister further announced that candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education programmes would no longer be required to sit for UTME if they possess the required qualifications.
However, such candidates must still register with JAMB for screening and processing through CAPS.
The exemption will also apply to candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural courses.
