JAMB Cut-Off Mark for Optometry: What Is Published

Optometry is a specialised course, and we found published cut-offs harder to come by than for courses such as Medicine. There is a national minimum set by JAMB, a separate figure at each school, and a ranking on the day. This page shows what we could source and is open about what we could not.

Layer one: the JAMB national minimum

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

Nairametrics reported that the 2025 figures were 150 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education, and that the 2024 minimum for universities was 140.

Some press reports also list institution-level minimums approved at the same 2026 meeting. AllAfrica's list, for example, reported 200 for the University of Lagos, the University of Ibadan, the University of Nigeria, the University of Benin and Obafemi Awolowo University, and 180 for Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin. We have only the press list, so treat these as reported figures and confirm them on each school's own notice. They are general minimums for the whole institution, not figures for Optometry.

Layer two: the school's own figure

We did not find an Optometry figure on the University of Lagos list for 2025/2026, so there is no UNILAG number to quote. The only school-level figure we found was a reported one.

Ulearngo reported that Bayelsa Medical University published its 2025/2026 cut-off marks on 21 August 2025. The report says the marks are based on candidates' UTME scores but does not state the scale. We could not open the university's own notice, so treat the figures below as reported and check them on the university's site. It lists Optometry (O.D.) at 184 for 2025/2026, and it lists Physiotherapy at 181 and Radiography and Radiation Science at 211 at the same school. Those numbers show how Bayelsa Medical University ranked its own programmes. They do not show what any other school asks.

You may see blog pages that give a range for Optometry, or estimates for 2026/2027. We did not find a school notice behind them, so we do not repeat them. Ask the department, or read the admission notice.

Layer three: the ranking and the screening

Meeting a school's cut-off puts you among the candidates it will consider. Many universities then add a post-UTME screening and combine your UTME score, screening score and O'level result into an aggregate. Our post-UTME aggregate calculator shows how such a calculation works in principle, and the JAMB score to get admission guide covers the general rules. If a course has more qualified candidates than places, a score at the threshold may not be enough. We cannot publish a "safe score" for Optometry, and we would be wary of anyone who does.

Check your subjects first

A strong score in the wrong subjects is wasted. Read the JAMB subject combination for Optometry page before you register, and see our general subject combination guide for how to compare choices. If you are comparing health courses, see the cut-off mark for Dentistry and the cut-off mark for Medicine and Surgery.

How to plan your score

1. Take 150 as the starting line, not the destination.
2. Pick three or four target schools and read their Optometry admission pages for the most recent session.
3. Check how each school calculates its aggregate, including whether it uses a post-UTME screening and how much weight the O'level result carries.
4. Build a buffer. A comfortable score gives you options if cut-offs rise.
5. Know your alternatives. If Optometry is out of reach, other courses may suit you. Understand how changing your course works before you rely on it.

What about 2027?

No cut-offs for 2027/2028 have been announced. JAMB decides the national minimums after the UTME, at an annual meeting, and each school then publishes its own figures. The proposed 2027 UTME dates are provisional, so follow the JAMB 2027 UTME date and timetable page. Any site that quotes a 2027 Optometry cut-off today is guessing.

Prepare, do not gamble

There is no honest shortcut. Do not pay for leaked questions or "arranged" scores. Instead:

• cover the syllabus in all four subjects;
• give Physics, especially optics and waves, steady time;
• do timed four-subject papers in the final weeks;
• track your mistakes and revisit them.

ExamPadi has 46,182 practice questions across JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, with a timed CBT mode. Free practice is available, with a Pro tier, on Android, iOS, web and Windows.

Practise JAMB Physics free on ExamPadi and build the score that gives you options.