JAMB Cut-Off Mark Now 150 – Is This the Standard for Our Future Leaders?

JAMB Sets 150 as University Cut-Off Mark – But at What Cost?

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently announced that the minimum cut-off mark for universities in 2025 is now 150. That’s 150 out of 400, just a little over 37%. Polytechnics and colleges of education can even admit students with 100.

It’s no surprise that many Nigerians are concerned. And rightly so.

What Are We Really Saying?

A JAMB score of 150 might give more students a chance to go to school, but it also raises a serious question:
Are we lowering the standard just to make the numbers look good?

Let’s put this into real perspective:

• Is 150/400 the kind of mark we want for someone who wants to study medicine and eventually treat patients in a hospital?
• Is that the bar we’re setting for future engineers, nurses, lawyers, or teachers who will guide the next generation?
• Are we saying that someone who scores just 37.5% is ready to build bridges, handle surgeries, or run businesses?

When we bring real careers into the conversation, the decision feels heavier.

Let’s talk about the students who had Jamb scores of 250, 280, or even 300.

What message are we sending to them?

These are students who studied day and night, made sacrifices, limited distractions, and truly gave their best.

Now, the minimum is set at 150, the barest minimum. That’s not even half of the total score.

So how are they supposed to feel?

It can feel discouraging to put in so much effort only to watch the system bend the rules for those who didn’t try as hard. It’s almost like we’re telling them:

“You worked hard, but it doesn’t matter that much.”

Is that how to motivate excellence?

What Caused This?

According to JAMB and some university officials, many candidates didn’t do well in this year’s UTME. If the cut-off stayed at 180 or even 160, most schools wouldn’t have enough qualified applicants. So, the solution was to lower the minimum so more students could “qualify.”

But is this a real solution or just a temporary fix?

Should we not focus on helping students do better in their exams, rather than moving the goalpost so that everyone can pass?

A Degree Should Mean Something

If the journey to the university becomes this easy, will the degree at the end of it still carry weight?
Will employers still respect it?
Will students still take their studies seriously?

Education is not just about entering school. It’s about the training, discipline, and growth that happens while you’re there. When the standard is too low at the start, it may affect everything that comes after.

Just One Thing to Think About:

• If a future doctor gets into university with 150, what happens when it’s time to treat patients?

Conclusion

We want Nigerian students to succeed. We want them to go to school and live their dreams. But it should happen the right way. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality for quantity.

If students are scoring low, we should look at the root, maybe it’s time to fix our classrooms, train more teachers, and improve learning environments.
Not just change the numbers.

Because one day, we’ll sit in the hospitals they manage, drive on the roads they design, and vote for the leaders they become.

The question is: Are we preparing them well enough?

Read about: JAMB UTME 2025: Why Did So Many Students Score Below 200?