patrickakpan1996@gmail.comIn Nigeria, the process of gaining admission into universities is standardized and regulated by the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission (NUC). This set of guidelines, known as the “Admission Guidelines,” outlines the requirements that candidates must meet in order to be considered for admission into a Nigerian university.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has established guidelines for admission into its higher education institutions.
These guidelines are based on several criteria, including:
- 45% of admissions are based on merit, which means that the highest-scoring candidates, regardless of their state of origin, are given priority.
- 35% of admissions are reserved for candidates from the institution’s catchment area or locality, giving preference to applicants from nearby communities.
- The remaining 20% of admissions are allocated to candidates from states that have been identified as educationally less developed, with the aim of promoting educational equity and development across the country.
How Federal Universities Gives Admission:
ADMISSION ON MERIT:
The admissions process prioritizes candidates who have achieved exceptionally high scores in the UTME and Post-UTME exams. To recognize these high-achieving candidates, 45% of the available spaces are reserved for applicants who have demonstrated outstanding performance in these exams.
CATCHMENT AREAS:
To promote equal opportunities for applicants from different regions of the country, the Federal Government has divided Nigeria’s states into catchment areas for each tertiary institution.
Some institutions, such as the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), have a unique catchment area that encompasses all states of the Federation. This means that applicants from any state in Nigeria are considered part of UNIABUJA’s catchment area.
On the other hand, state-owned institutions typically have a catchment area that includes all the local government areas within their state.
According to the Federal Government’s admission guidelines, 35% of available spaces in these institutions are reserved for applicants from within the institution’s catchment area, whether that is defined as the entire country or just the local government areas within a particular state.
EDUCATIONALLY LESS DEVELOPED STATES (ELDS)
Some states in Nigeria are classified as “Educationally Less Developed States” (ELDS). These states are considered to have lower levels of educational development compared to other parts of the country. The following states are currently classified as ELDS:
- Adamawa
- Bauchi
- Bayelsa
- Benue
- Borno
- Cross River
- Ebonyi
- Gombe
- Jigawa
- Kaduna
- Kano
- Katsina
- Kebbi
- Kogi
- Kwara
- Nasarawa
- Niger
- Plateau
- Rivers
- Sokoto
- Taraba
- Yobe
- Zamfara
For example, if a school like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) sets the merit cut-off mark for Medicine and Surgery at 320, the cut-off mark for applicants from the catchment area may be lower, such as 300 or 310, depending on the specific state.
Similarly, the cut-off mark for applicants from Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS) may be even lower than the cut-off mark for the catchment area. For example, in the case of Medicine and Surgery, the cut-off mark for applicants from an ELDS could be as low as 270, depending on the specific state.
Points to Note about Departmental Cut-off Mark:
Following the completion of the Post-UTME screening exercise, each institution determines its departmental cut-off marks for admission into various programs.
It’s important to note that departmental cut-off marks can change from one academic year to another. This means that the cut-off mark used for admission into a particular program last year may not necessarily be the same for the current year.
Several factors can affect the departmental cut-off marks for admission into Nigerian universities. Some of the key factors that can influence the increase or decrease of cut-off marks include:
- Number of applicants: The more applicants there are for a particular program, the higher the cut-off mark may be, as there is more competition for limited spaces.
- Performance of applicants: If applicants perform exceptionally well in the UTME and Post-UTME exams, the cut-off marks may be higher to reflect the high level of competition.
- Admission guidelines: The Federal Government and individual institutions may adjust their admission guidelines from year to year, which can impact the cut-off marks for different programs.
- Catchment area and ELDS: As mentioned earlier, applicants from a school’s catchment area or from ELDS may have lower cut-off marks than the general merit cut-off mark, which can affect the overall cut-off marks for a particular program.
Conclusion
It’s worth noting that even if you don’t meet the general merit cut-off mark for a particular program, you may still be considered for admission based on the state cut-off mark.
patrickakpan1996@gmail.com
