The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reminded 2020 UTME candidates that merely scoring the national minimum UTME cut-off mark—or even scoring above 300 in the UTME—does not automatically guarantee admission into a tertiary institution.
What Actually Determines Your Final Admission Ranking
In its official weekly bulletin, JAMB explained that the UTME score is only one component of the admission placement process. Institutions combine multiple parameters to calculate a candidate's final aggregate score:
- UTME / Direct Entry Qualification Score
- Post-UTME Screening / Aptitude Test Score
- O'Level (WAEC/NECO/NABTEB) Grade Points
- Physical / Medical Screening (where applicable, such as at the Nigerian Defence Academy or Nigeria Police Academy)
Because all these components are added together to produce the final departmental ranking table, a candidate who scored 300+ in UTME but performed poorly in Post-UTME or has weak O'Level grades (such as C6s) may rank lower than a candidate who scored 200 in UTME but has A1s in O'Level and a high Post-UTME score.
Why Competitive Courses Have Much Higher Cut-Offs
JAMB also noted that within each university, departmental cut-off marks vary widely based on quota and competition. High-demand courses like Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Nursing, Law, and Engineering often have available spaces for less than 10% of their applicants, pushing their final aggregate cut-off marks significantly higher than the general institutional benchmark.
To make sure your Post-UTME score boosts your final aggregate ranking, start practicing your school's past questions today on the Mentra POST-UTME app, available on both Android and iOS.
Published by Mentra Academic Research
Every study guide, syllabus analysis, and timing breakdown is cross-checked against official examination criteria (JAMB UTME, POST-UTME, and WAEC) by subject matter specialists.
