JAMB Cut-Off Mark for English and Literary Studies

"What is the cut-off mark for English?" has three layers: a national minimum, a school-level cut-off, and a ranking on the day. This page explains each with figures that can be traced to a source, and separates English and Literary Studies from Education English.

Layer one: the JAMB national minimum

At its policy meeting in Abuja on Monday, 11 May 2026, JAMB set the minimum UTME scores for the 2026/2027 admission session. According to Legit.ng:

The Legit.ng report did not give a figure for colleges of education, so check JAMB's own announcement if that is your route. These are reported figures; the official notice is on jamb.gov.ng.

This is the lowest score at which a university may consider you. It says nothing about English and Literary Studies specifically, and a score at the national floor is not likely to be enough for a course that more candidates want than there are places for.

Layer two: each school's cut-off

Individual universities publish their own cut-offs for each programme, and these differ from school to school and from year to year. There is no single published "English and Literary Studies cut-off" for Nigeria.

One official example is the University of Lagos. In October 2025 it published its UTME merit admission cut-off marks for 2025/2026, by programme. English appears under the Faculty of Arts and Education English under the Faculty of Education. We add two other programmes from the same page for comparison.

Two cautions when reading this table. First, the UNILAG page does not state the scale of its figures. They look like aggregate scores rather than raw UTME marks out of 400, so do not compare them with your UTME score. Second, the page lists further columns (a catchment figure and several states) but does not explain how the figures map to them, so we quote only the first figure in each row, which sits under the Merit heading. The page also shows NIL in some cells, meaning no figure is given there.

At UNILAG for 2025/2026, the first figures for English (68.175) and Education English (68.05) are close to each other and not far below Psychology (69.7) in the same table. Estate Management (57.325) is lower. That is one school's ordering in one year; other universities will differ.

Layer three: the ranking on the day

A school's published cut-off is a threshold, not a guarantee. Admission lists are built by ranking candidates who meet the threshold and filling the available places. In a course where more candidates qualify than there are places, meeting the cut-off exactly may not be enough. We cannot publish a national "safe score", and anyone who offers you one with total certainty is guessing.

How schools combine your scores

Many universities use an aggregate that combines your UTME score with a post-UTME screening score, and sometimes your O'level result. Formulas differ by school, which is why you should check your own target. The post-UTME aggregate calculator post explains how to work out an aggregate once you have your school's formula, and what JAMB score you need to get admission looks at the wider picture.

What the numbers mean for your plan

1. Aim well above 150. Treat it as the entry ticket, not the target.
2. Check the cut-offs of three or four schools you actually want, on their own websites, for the latest session.
3. Be sure which degree you want. English and Education English are different programmes with different cut-offs at some schools.
4. Prepare for the screening too. In many schools, the post-UTME can move you up or down.

Cut-offs for 2027/2028 have not been announced. JAMB decides the minimums at its annual policy meeting after the UTME, and the proposed 2027 UTME window is 15 to 25 March 2027 (see the JAMB 2027 UTME date and timetable page). Do not rely on any website that claims to know the 2027 figure.

Make sure you have the right subjects

None of this matters if your UTME subjects are wrong. The combination reported is Use of English, Literature in English and two other Arts subjects. Read the full explanation, including where sources disagree, in JAMB subject combination for English and Literary Studies.

No guarantees

We cannot promise any score will get you into this course. What you can control is your preparation: cover the syllabus, practise under time pressure and fix your weak topics.

A hypothetical aggregate, to show the arithmetic

Schools use different formulas, so this example is invented purely to show how aggregates work. Suppose a school gave 50 marks to the UTME and 50 to its screening. A candidate with a UTME score of 300 out of 400 would get 300 divided by 400 times 50, which is 37.5. If the same candidate scored 70 out of 100 in screening, that adds 35, for an aggregate of 72.5. Your school's weights, scales and extra components will differ, so always use its own formula before comparing yourself to a published cut-off.

Questions to put to a school's admissions office

• Which session does the published cut-off cover?
• Is the figure an aggregate or a raw UTME mark?
• Are there separate merit and catchment thresholds?
• Is there a post-UTME screening, and how much weight does it carry?
• Does the O'level result count towards the ranking, or only as a requirement?

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