The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has unveiled the list of Nigeria’s top university choices for 2025.
The list was unveiled by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions, held in Abuja.
According to Oloyede, Lagos State University (LASU), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) have emerged as Nigeria’s top University choices for students in 2025.
The JAMB Registrar also explained that the preference ranking was based on the choices made by over two million students who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Here are the top 10 most preferred institutions;
1). Lagos State University (LASU): 70,080 applications
2). University of Lagos (UNILAG): 58, 645 applications
3). University of Ilorin (UNILORIN): 56,758 applications
4). Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE): 52,108 applications
5). Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK): 51,487 applications
6). University of Ibadan (UI): 47,571 applications
7). University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN): 46,273 applications
8). University of Benin (UNIBEN): 45,868 applications
9). Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU): 45,777 applications
10). Federal University, Lafia: 42,962 applications
On the other hand, JAMB has fixed 150 as the minimum admissible UTME score for universities for the 2025/2026 academic session, while polytechnics and colleges of education will admit from 100 and above, and colleges of nursing sciences from 140 and above.
The cut-off marks were agreed upon by stakeholders, including vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and regulatory agencies, who participated in the deliberations.
Each institution is permitted to adopt a higher benchmark, but no school is allowed to admit candidates below the national minimum.
Recall also that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
