Post-UTME Cut-Off Marks 2026/2027: What Top Universities Required
For 2026/2027, the biggest federal universities asked for 200 in the UTME before a candidate could even register for post-UTME. UNILAG, UI, OAU and UNIBEN all set 200. LASU set 195, the University of Abuja 180, UNN, OOU and AAUA 160, and UNIUYO stayed at the national minimum of 150.
These are eligibility marks: the score that lets you into a school's screening. They are not admission marks. This post lists what each school published, explains the difference, and shows how to use the list if you are choosing schools for the 2027 UTME.
The 2026/2027 post-UTME eligibility marks
Each figure below is the minimum UTME score set in the school's own 2026/2027 post-UTME notice, for candidates who chose that school first. Registration windows have closed, but they show you roughly when each school moves.
- University of Lagos (UNILAG): 200. Online screening; registration ran from 15 June to 8 July 2026.
- University of Ibadan (UI): 200. Registration ran from 22 June to 19 July 2026.
- Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU): 200. A compulsory online CBT post-UTME; registration was reported to run to 14 August 2026.
- University of Benin (UNIBEN): 200.
- Lagos State University (LASU): 195. Online screening from 3 to 23 June 2026.
- University of Abuja: 180, plus the cut-off for the programme applied for. Registration ran from 12 to 26 August 2026.
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN): 160. Registration ran from 15 July to 19 August 2026.
- Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU): 160.
- Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA): 160.
- University of Uyo (UNIUYO): 150.
Marks change from session to session, so treat this as last cycle's guide and confirm the new figure on the school's portal when the 2027/2028 notice comes out.
Eligibility mark, admission mark, departmental mark
When a student says "UNILAG's cut-off is 200", they mean the eligibility mark: the minimum UTME score to be allowed into the school's screening. It is the second of three layers.
- National minimum, set by JAMB's policy meeting: 150 for universities in 2026/2027.
- School eligibility mark, set by each university: the figures above.
- Departmental or course cut-off, worked out after screening from how many qualified candidates applied for each course and how many places it has.
The third layer is the one that decides admission, and for courses like Medicine, Law and Nursing it can sit far above 200. Our pillar guide on what a cut-off mark really means covers the full logic.
Why the big federal universities sit at 200
Mostly volume. At the 2026 policy meeting, JAMB reported the most-chosen first-choice universities: LASU (84,426 candidates), UNILAG (78,240), OAU (60,370), UI (58,895), UNIBEN (55,425), UNIZIK (54,085), UNILORIN (52,514) and UNN (51,669).
A university screening tens of thousands of first-choice candidates for a limited number of places uses a high eligibility mark to keep the process manageable. The schools with the most applicants tend to set the highest bar. That is why the same 190 that shuts you out of UNILAG's screening comfortably clears UNN's.
Not every school screens the same way
"Post-UTME" covers two quite different processes. Some schools, OAU among them in 2026, run an actual CBT exam that you sit and that produces a score. Others, including UNILAG and LASU in 2026, run an "online screening" where you upload your details and the school ranks you largely on your UTME score and O'level grades.
The format changes how you should prepare. For an exam you practise papers; for online screening your UTME score and O'level grades carry the weight, and the job is to submit accurate details on time. UNILORIN, for example, published its formula: UTME or A-level 50%, post-UTME screening 30%, and five relevant O'level grades 20%. Our guide to calculating your aggregate walks through that kind of calculation.
How to use this list for the 2027 UTME
The most expensive mistake on this page is choosing a first-choice school whose eligibility mark you are unlikely to reach. Your first choice decides which post-UTME you can register for. If you miss its mark, your way out is a change of institution, and you are then racing the other schools' screening deadlines.
- Be honest about your mock scores. If your timed practice papers sit around 190, a school that asked for 200 last year is a stretch.
- Leave a margin of at least 20 marks. Eligibility marks can rise, and exam-day nerves are real.
- Compare schools for the same course. Microbiology at a school with a 160 mark may be a far better bet than the same course at one with 200.
- Mind the catchment rules. Federal universities fill places on merit, catchment and ELDS quotas, so where you come from can work in your favour at some schools.
What about the schools not on this list?
Every university, polytechnic and college of nursing publishes its own notice. If your school is not here, go to its official website, or its official social media accounts, and look for the 2026/2027 post-UTME or admission screening notice. The eligibility mark and the O'level requirement are normally in the first few lines. If a site asks you to pay before telling you a cut-off mark, close it.
Second choice, and why it rarely helps
Many candidates assume that listing a second-choice university gives them a safety net. In practice, schools' screening invitations are aimed at candidates who chose them first, as every notice on the list above makes clear. A second choice can matter later, but it does not usually get you into a second screening.
The real safety net is a change of institution. In 2026 JAMB opened that window on 15 May, before most screenings began, so a candidate who missed their first choice's mark could still switch in time for another school's screening. But it is a scramble against deadlines (LASU's screening opened on 3 June), so the safest plan is still a first choice whose mark you can realistically clear, not a hopeful first choice backed by a second choice.
Remember that the national floor still applies everywhere. No university can admit a candidate below 150, and no polytechnic below 100, however generous its own screening appears. For the national picture, see our JAMB cut-off mark 2026/2027 guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is UNILAG's cut-off mark for 2026/2027?
UNILAG's 2026/2027 post-UTME notice set 200 as the minimum UTME score for candidates who chose it first. Course cut-offs after screening are higher for competitive courses.
Which universities accepted 160 in 2026?
Among the schools on this list, UNN, OOU and AAUA set 160, and UNIUYO set 150. Many other state and private universities set marks below 200, so check each school's notice.
Does reaching the post-UTME mark guarantee admission?
No. It only lets you register for screening. Admission depends on your aggregate, your course's cut-off, and the number of places.
Will the 2027/2028 marks be the same?
Not necessarily. Schools publish fresh notices each session, so use 2026 as a planning guide and confirm on the portal.
A comfortable margin above your school's mark is the best protection you have. EasyPoint gives you timed JAMB and post-UTME practice in your subjects, with scores you can track week to week. Start practising for free and find out where you really stand.
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