JAMB Subject Combination for International Relations

International Relations looks at how states and organisations deal with one another, and the press lists agree on its shape if not on every detail. The set listed for the 2026 UTME is:

Use of English, Economics and Government or History, plus one more subject.

Myschoolnews' list of JAMB's 2026 combinations gives this, without naming the fourth subject. Trinity University, Yaba lists the same core with an open fourth. We could not open the JAMB brochure, so confirm on IBASS.

The combination at a glance

What the sources say

Myschoolnews gives English, Economics, Government or History, plus one other. Trinity University's course page lists English Language (compulsory), Government or History, Economics and any other relevant subject, naming CRS and Literature in English as examples. Other aggregator listings we came across arrange the options differently, and we could not verify them, so we do not rely on them. That is the kind of disagreement the brochure should resolve.

Relationship to Political Science

International Relations and Political Science are close cousins, but their lists are not the same: Political Science makes Economics optional in the lists we read, while International Relations includes it. If you want to keep both open, a set of Use of English, Government, Economics and Geography or Literature in English fits both lists as we read them, but check each school's page. Our subject combination guide explains how to do this safely.

O'level requirements

Trinity University's page lists five O'level credits for UTME entry: English Language, Government or History and Mathematics, plus two other relevant subjects such as Economics, CRS or IRS, Literature in English, Civic Education or Geography. That is one private university, so use it as an example, not a national rule.

Avoid the usual mistakes

A wrong combination can cost you a whole year, so protect yourself:

1. Write down your subjects before you go to the registration centre, and read them back to the officer.
2. Do not swap subjects because an agent or a friend says it is fine. Only JAMB's brochure and the institution can tell you what is allowed.
3. Check your slip and keep a copy of it.
4. Test every choice. If your second choice is a different course, check that the same four subjects satisfy it as well. Our JAMB subject combination guide explains how to compare choices, and changing your course explains what can be corrected later.

Confirm it before you pay

Before you register, run this short check:

1. Open JAMB's brochure on jamb.gov.ng and find the entry for the exact course name your school uses.
2. Open the admission page of each university on your list, and note any extra requirement, such as a particular O'level grade or a post-UTME screening.
3. If a press list, a blog or an agent disagrees with either, follow the brochure and the school, and ask the school in writing if the difference matters.
4. Keep a screenshot or copy of the entry you relied on.

This takes less than an hour and removes one of the most common avoidable errors in registration. When we call a list a press summary, we mean it: we are reporting what the outlet printed, not what we read in the brochure.

How to prepare

• Government and Economics are the heart of the set, so give them regular topic work.
• Your fourth subject: pick it once the brochure confirms what is allowed.
• Use of English: reading, comprehension and lexis.
• Follow world news: it helps with examples and context.

In the final weeks, do timed four-subject papers.

What about the score?

The combination only gets you through the first door. For the score, read our cut-off mark for International Relations page, which separates JAMB's national minimum from each school's own figure, and the general guide to the JAMB score needed for admission. The UTME is computer-based, with four subjects, two hours and a score out of 400. The proposed 2027 dates are provisional, so follow the JAMB 2027 UTME date and timetable page.

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 Government free on ExamPadi, then add the other three subjects.