The pressure on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from institutional bodies to peg the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities at 150 for the 2024/2025 academic session has sparked a wave of concerns among education stakeholders, warning about the long-term implications for quality, capacity, and sustainability in the tertiary education system.
The decision, which emerged during the 2025 JAMB policy meeting involving heads of tertiary institutions and stakeholders, also set 140 as the minimum benchmark for colleges of nursing sciences, and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.
Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, revealed that while the Board believes a higher cut-off would have been ideal, pressure from institutional representatives advocating for thresholds as low as 140 or below led to the current compromise.
“These are minimum thresholds. Institutions are not allowed to go below them. This policy reflects the reality of our education system and the need to align admission processes with merit, equity, and capacity,” Oloyede stated.
While JAMB emphasised that the cut-off mark is only a baseline, meaning institutions are free to set higher thresholds for individual courses, many stakeholders are questioning the wisdom of standardising entry points so low.
The decision has triggered reactions from educationists and policy observers, who argue that lowering standards could further erode the quality of education and worsen the already strained resources in Nigerian Universities.
Issa AbdurRaheem, Assistant National Secretary of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), expressed grave concern over the move, warning that many students admitted with lower marks may struggle to cope with the academic rigour of tertiary institutions.
“There’s the risk of increased dropout rates. Students who are not academically prepared may not survive the system. This will create a domino effect of more strain on lecturers, overcrowded classrooms, and erosion of learning quality,” he noted
AbdurRaheem further noted that infrastructure designed for 40 students per class may now have to cater for hundreds, which would not only compromise the learning environment but also overburden academic staff, leaving little room for research and professional development.
“If this continues, we may end up graduating students who are ill-equipped for the demands of the workplace,” he said.
While some argue that the lowered cut-off is an effort to democratize access, others insist it is a symptom of systemic failure.
Opeoluwa Taiwo, Director at Africa Bridge Initiative, acknowledged that pressure is mounting across multiple fronts, including from students, parents, and the government, to expand access to higher education, especially as the population of secondary school graduates grows exponentially.
“We must understand that there is a lot of pressure on the education sector, government institutions, students, and families alike, but access without quality is dangerous. We need policy coherence that involves all stakeholders, including the private sector, to strike the right balance.”
Jessica Osuere, CEO of RubiesHub Education Services, blamed recent cut-off adjustments on systemic failures in the conduct of this year’s examinations. She cited technical glitches, server crashes, and abrupt session timeouts that disenfranchised many students during their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).
“I think lowering the cut-off was a form of compensation to affected students, not necessarily a reflection of academic ability. But such measures should not be sustained. They must remain temporary fixes while broader reforms are pursued,” she said
Beyond immediate concerns over quality, Osuere advocated for a structural shift in Nigeria’s education model.
“University education is not for everyone. We need to revive and strengthen alternative educational tracks, technical colleges, vocational training, polytechnics and stop relegating them.”
She recalled past systems where students who could not meet academic benchmarks were directed to technical schools and skill-based institutions, helping to channel human capital into appropriate sectors without compromising national development goals.
“Countries that are growing today have structured pathways for all types of learners. Nigeria must do the same,” she said
The latest move by JAMB is part of a broader trend of declining cut-off scores in the past decade. From a high of 180 in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic sessions, the benchmark fell to 120 in 2017/2018, before stabilising around 140–150 in recent years.
Though JAMB insists these are only baseline scores and not guarantees of admission, critics argue that setting such low bars sends the wrong message and lowers academic expectations.
Ultimately, while the move may temporarily ease access for underprepared students, experts warn it could do long-term damage to the quality and credibility of Nigeria’s higher education system.
It noted that land prices across the city have consistently trended upward with no significant drop, warning that delays in investment only lead to higher entry costs.
“A compelling illustration of this trend is observed in Ibeju-Lekki. A plot of land in this area, which was available for as low as N500,000-N1.5m in 2013 (prior to major development hubs like the Lekki Free Trade Zone), saw its value surge to N5m-N10m by 2018 as significant infrastructure projects commenced.
“By the first quarter of 2025, the same land commanded prices between N25m and N40m, representing a potential 40-fold increase in value over a decade. Similarly, plots in Lekki Phase 1 that were priced at N10m – N15m in 2005 are now valued at over N400m – N500m. Land prices in Eko Atlantic, which stood at N180m per plot in the early 2000s, have also escalated to over N2bn today.
“This extraordinary appreciation underscores that real estate in Lagos has become a primary vehicle for wealth accumulation. The market’s dynamism is driven less by a pure housing need for the general populace and more by its function as a high-yield investment vehicle for the affluent, including a significant proportion of diaspora investors. This establishes luxury real estate as a critical mechanism for wealth generation and preservation in Lagos, particularly for those with patient capital and a long-term investment horizon.”
The document attributes the growth in value to several interconnected trends, including rapid urbanisation, population growth, and the rising demand for premium real estate.
“Urbanisation and population growth: Lagos’s population has rapidly expanded, reaching nearly 24 million residents, with an annual growth rate of 2.5 per cent. The city experiences an influx of over 6,000 immigrants daily, with approximately 50 per cent choosing to remain, significantly intensifying the demand for housing across all sets, including luxury. The population is projected to exceed 25 million by 2025, further fuelling this demand.”
Despite infrastructure concerns, Lagos’ luxury developments often offer world-class amenities, making them appealing to high-net-worth individuals. Features commonly found in such properties include home automation, private gyms, swimming pools, and in some cases, helipads and golf courses.
