JAMB Subject Combination for Law: What Is Reported

Law is one of the most applied-for courses in Nigeria, and it is also one of the courses where published subject lists do not fully agree with each other. That is exactly why you should read this page as a map of what is reported and then confirm the final answer in JAMB's own brochure. We have tried to separate three things: what a national outlet reported, what a university says on its own page, and what only the brochure can settle.

The short answer

The table shows what each source we could read says. Use of English is compulsory for every UTME candidate.

Treat this as reported information. JAMB's brochure on IBASS is the official list, and these entries do not replace it.

Where the lists agree and where they do not

All three sources above agree on one point: Law is an arts and social science course, and Use of English is part of the four. Beyond that they differ in how they describe the other subjects.

BusinessDay names Literature in English as compulsory and lets you choose two from Economics, Government and History. MySchoolNews, in a list published in January 2026, describes the set as English, Literature, Economics and one other Arts subject, which would make Economics fixed instead of optional. Olabisi Onabanjo University describes the requirement more loosely, as English plus three relevant Arts or Social Science subjects, and says the programme runs for five years for UTME entrants.

We cannot tell from outside which wording matches the current JAMB brochure, and neither source we read cites the brochure line by line. The safe reading is this: Literature in English and Use of English are common to every list, and the remaining two subjects are an Arts or Social Science choice that you must match to the brochure. If you are leaning on Economics, check that your chosen version of the list actually allows it.

Choosing your two optional subjects

If the brochure lets you choose, pick on strength and interest, because you will spend months practising them. Government and History overlap a little in the way they train you to read and argue, which many students find an advantage. Economics suits students who like reasoning with data and short calculations. Literature in English rewards early reading, since the prescribed texts change, so start with our JAMB literature texts guide rather than waiting until the registration window.

Whatever you pick, avoid choosing a subject only because a friend did. Two candidates for the same course can legitimately write different optional subjects, and the one who picks the subject they can score highest in usually ends up with the stronger result.

What a Law applicant should do first

Before you do anything else, decide which universities you would accept and look up their Law admission pages. Some Law faculties publish a separate set of O'level credits that includes Literature in English and other arts subjects. Then open the brochure on IBASS and match your course name. Only after both checks should you choose your two optional subjects.

UTME subjects and O'level subjects are two separate checks

New candidates often mix these up. The four subjects you write in the UTME are decided by JAMB's brochure. The credits you need in your WAEC, NECO or NABTEB result are decided by the university. A school can ask for a credit in a subject you never wrote in the UTME, and a subject can count in the UTME without being listed among a school's O'level credits. Check both, and check them for every school on your list, because two universities can set the same course differently.

How to confirm your combination before you pay

The only list that settles the question is JAMB's own. Use this routine, and do it before you buy any registration PIN:

1. Open the brochure on IBASS and search for your exact course name. Similar-sounding courses can carry different subjects.
2. Open the admission page of each university you are considering and note its UTME subjects and its O'level credits. A school may ask for more than JAMB does.
3. Write the four subjects on paper and compare them with the course name on your registration screens.
4. If a blog, a social media post or a friend disagrees with JAMB or the university, trust JAMB and the university. That includes this page, which is a guide and not the brochure.

Our general guide on JAMB subject combinations by course covers the rule for every faculty, and JAMB change of course explains your options if you realise too late that the combination does not fit.

Preparing the four subjects

Use of English is the one subject every candidate shares, so it is the best place to start. Practise JAMB English in short daily sets, then add Literature in English and whichever of Government or Economics you choose. Our guide on how to score 300 in JAMB shows how to split your target across four subjects.

Mistakes that cost candidates a year

Most combination problems follow the same few patterns, and all of them can be avoided with a short check:

• Copying a friend's combination. Two courses with similar names can carry different subjects, so match your exact course name and not the faculty.
• Trusting an old post. Lists can change between years, so a screenshot from a previous session is not evidence for this one. Look at the brochure for the year you are registering.
• Choosing an optional subject you have not tried. Take a short timed set in each candidate subject before you commit, so you pick on evidence and not on hope.
• Ignoring the school's own rules. The UTME subjects can be right while the O'level credits are not, so read the school's page as well as the brochure.
• Leaving the decision late. Registration windows are short and fixing a mistake after the exam is far harder than avoiding it before. Decide your course and subjects early, then ask a teacher or counsellor to check your choice.

A calm ten-minute check can protect months of preparation.

No guarantees

A correct combination only makes your UTME score usable for the course. It does not decide admission, which depends on the score, the school's own cut-off, the post-UTME where one is held, and the number of places. Anyone who promises a place for a fee is not telling you the truth, and our guide on what JAMB score you need to get admission explains how the stages work.

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