OAU Cut-Off Marks 2026: Full Course List

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) 2026 cut-off marks place Medicine and Surgery at 270, Pharmacy at 260, Law at 250, Dentistry at 260, Engineering at 230 to 240, and most arts and social science courses at 200 JAMB. These are the working cut-offs used by OAU’s admission committee for the 2026 cycle. The actual admission decision uses a blended JAMB and Post-UTME aggregate with O Level as a tie-breaker.

Last updated: May 2026 OAU has held its place among the top federal universities for Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Law, and the Sciences. The cut-off below the headline programmes is also competitive. The Ile-Ife campus admits roughly 6,000 to 7,000 fresh students each year, with the working aggregate band tight enough that O Level grades often decide tie-breakers. Confirm specific course cut-offs on admissions.oauife.edu.ng before paying Post-UTME.

The tables below cover OAU’s main faculties with working JAMB cut-offs for the 2026 cycle.

At a glance

The snapshot below covers the headline figures.

Detail	2026 value
Overall JAMB minimum (institutional)	200
Medicine, Dentistry minimum	250 (working floor 270)
Pharmacy minimum	250 (working floor 260)
Law minimum	250
Engineering minimum	200 (working floor 230-240)
Aggregate formula	JAMB and Post-UTME blended (around 50/50)
Post-UTME fee	~₦2,500
Quota split	45% merit, 35% catchment, 20% ELDS

OAU 2026 cut-off marks by faculty

The tables below cover the courses that the largest share of OAU applicants ask about each year. The working cut-off is what puts you in real contention after Post-UTME.

College of Health Sciences

OAU’s College of Health Sciences trains Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing and allied health professionals. Cut-offs reflect national-level competition.

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Medicine and Surgery	270
Dentistry	260
Pharmacy	260
Nursing Science	240
Medical Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy)	240
Medical Laboratory Science	230
Anatomy, Physiology	220

Technology (Engineering)

OAU Engineering branches admit at competitive bands. Electrical and Electronic, plus Mechanical, are the most contested.

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	240
Mechanical Engineering	235
Civil Engineering	230
Chemical Engineering	235
Computer Engineering	240
Materials Science and Engineering	220
Agricultural Engineering	215
Food Science and Technology	215

Science

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Computer Science with Engineering	240
Microbiology	225
Biochemistry	225
Industrial Chemistry	215
Mathematics, Statistics	200
Physics with Electronics	200
Botany, Zoology	200
Geology, Geophysics	200

Law, Arts and Education

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Law	250
Mass Communication / Journalism	235
English Language	210
History	200
Religious Studies, Philosophy	200
Music, Dramatic Arts, Fine Arts	200
Linguistics, African Languages	200
Education (all subjects)	200

Social Sciences and Administration

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Economics	225
Accounting	230
Business Administration	220
Banking and Finance	215
International Relations	220
Political Science	215
Sociology, Demography	210
Public Administration	210
Geography	200

Agriculture and Environmental Design

Course	JAMB cut-off (2026)
Architecture	225
Building, Quantity Surveying, Estate Management	210
Urban and Regional Planning	205
Crop Production and Protection	200
Animal Sciences, Fisheries, Forestry	200
Agricultural Extension	200

How OAU cut-offs have moved year on year

OAU’s institutional cut-off has held at 200 for general entry, but course-level working cut-offs have moved upward in the competitive programmes. Medicine sat at 260 in 2022 and has been at 270 for the last two cycles. Pharmacy moved from 250 to 260. Law has held at 250 since 2021 but candidates with strong Post-UTME now need 250+ as the realistic floor.

Computer Science with Engineering was 220 four years ago and now sits at 240. Engineering branches have nudged from a 215-225 band to 220-240 over the same period. Mass Communication has held at 230-235 throughout.

The trend tells you that the headline OAU programmes have become more competitive. A 240 JAMB candidate from five years ago could realistically target Medicine; the same score today is comfortably below the working floor. Plan around the working cut-offs above, not around the published institutional minimum.

The arts and pure sciences have largely held at 200 to 210. A candidate with 210 to 220 JAMB has real options at OAU in the broader faculties.

How OAU calculates the admission aggregate

OAU’s blend has commonly used 50% JAMB and 50% Post-UTME, with the JAMB score scaled to 50 and the Post-UTME to 50, then summed to a 100-point aggregate. The exact ratio is confirmed in each year’s admission notice; recent cycles have used 50/50.

Worked example: a candidate scores 270 JAMB (scaled to 33.75 out of 50, dividing by 8) and 70 out of 100 on Post-UTME (scaled to 35 out of 50). The aggregate is 68.75. A second candidate scores 250 JAMB (31.25 scaled) and 80 on Post-UTME (40 scaled), for an aggregate of 71.25. The second candidate ranks higher despite a lower JAMB.

This is why a strong Post-UTME score matters as much as a strong JAMB at OAU. Raising your Post-UTME from 65% to 80% can close a 20-mark JAMB gap. The Post-UTME is on the same four UTME subjects but tests application more sharply with tighter time per question.

OAU does not formally weight O Level in the aggregate but uses it as a tie-breaker when candidates finish with the same aggregate. The catchment quota (35%) and the ELDS quota (20%) operate on top of the merit ranking.

What happens if you score below the cut-off

Three options open if your score is below the OAU working cut-off. First, Change of Course on JAMB (₦2,500) to a programme where your score works. A Medicine aspirant with 250 can switch to Anatomy, Physiology, Medical Laboratory Science, or Nursing at OAU, all of which are competitive but reachable.

Second, Change of Institution to a school with lower working cut-offs. State universities (LASU, LAUTECH, Ekiti State University) and private universities have cut-offs 20 to 50 marks below OAU for the same course.

Third, the OAU supplementary list, published in October or November, often picks up candidates who narrowly missed the merit cut-off but have strong Post-UTME aggregates.

The polytechnic ND-to-Direct-Entry-degree route is also valid. A candidate who could not get OAU directly can do an ND at Yaba Tech, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, or similar, then pivot to OAU through Direct Entry at 200 level. Many OAU graduates took this route.

OAU cut-offs compared to UI and UNILAG

OAU sits in the same competitive tier as UI and UNILAG, but its working cut-offs are typically 5 to 10 marks below the Lagos-Ibadan pair for the headline programmes. OAU Medicine works at 270; UI and UNILAG at 280. OAU Law sits at 250; UI at 260, UNILAG at 250. OAU Pharmacy holds at 260, matching UI and UNILAG.

The marginal gap reflects two factors. First, OAU’s location in Ile-Ife pulls slightly less applicant volume than the Lagos-Ibadan corridor, where transport networks and the broader urban draw concentrate JAMB candidates. Second, OAU’s Pharmacy and Engineering have historically had specialised reputations that pull qualified students even at lower published cut-offs.

For candidates with strong JAMB scores (260+), OAU is a realistic Medicine target where UI and UNILAG might be just out of reach. For candidates with mid-range scores (210 to 240), OAU’s broader course list (Arts, pure Sciences, Education, Agriculture) provides accessible routes that UNILAG’s tighter admissions sometimes do not.

The lifestyle trade-off is real: Ile-Ife is quieter and cheaper than Lagos but offers less in the way of internship and weekend access to the country’s commercial centres. Plan around what matters most for your four to six year stay.

Frequently asked questions

Has OAU officially released its 2026 cut-offs?

OAU releases department-by-department cut-offs on its admission portal after the JAMB Policy Meeting, usually in June or July. The figures shown here are the working bands from the 2026 admission cycle, drawn from the admission committee’s preliminary parameters. The official OAU portal at admissions.oauife.edu.ng is the binding reference; confirm there before paying Post-UTME.

What is the difference between OAU Medicine and UI Medicine cut-offs?

OAU Medicine works at 270; UI Medicine works at 280. The 10-mark gap reflects the relative competitive intensity of the two schools’ applicant pools. Both are top-tier and produce MDCN-licensed doctors who write the same licensing exam. The choice between them often comes down to geography (Ile-Ife vs Ibadan), cost (Ile-Ife slightly cheaper), and personal preference on campus atmosphere.

If I scored 240 in OAU Engineering, am I in?

240 puts you at or just above the working cut-off for most OAU Engineering branches (Mechanical 235, Civil 230, Electrical 240). You qualify to write Post-UTME. Your admission depends on the aggregate; if your Post-UTME is 70% or higher and your O Level grades are decent, you are in real contention. For the most competitive branches (Electrical, Computer Engineering at 240), a 240 JAMB sits at the line; aim for 250 to feel safer.

How does OAU’s catchment area work?

OAU applies the JAMB-mandated 45-35-20 split. Osun State (where OAU is) plus the surrounding South-West states (Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos) fall in catchment. Catchment candidates compete for the 35% slot pool, with a slightly lower aggregate threshold than the merit pool. The merit quota (45%) is open to all candidates nationally. ELDS (20%) goes to candidates from JAMB-designated educationally-less-developed states.

Is OAU Pharmacy competitive vs UI Pharmacy?

OAU’s Faculty of Pharmacy has a strong national reputation, often cited above UI for pharmacy specifically. Cut-offs are similar (260 working at both). The choice often comes down to location and personal preference. Both produce graduates who write the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) licensing exam and practise nationally.

What is the OAU Post-UTME like?

OAU Post-UTME is a CBT screening on the four UTME subjects (Use of English plus your three course subjects). The fee is around ₦2,500. The format is multiple choice, tighter on time than the main UTME, with more application-style questions. Prepare by drilling JAMB past questions again and sitting four to six full mocks in the fortnight before screening. The screening takes about an hour.

Related guides

• How to gain admission into OAU
• UI Cut-Off Marks 2026: full course list
• UNILAG Cut-Off Marks 2026: full course list
• How to check your JAMB admission status on CAPS

Sources

Obafemi Awolowo University admission portal at admissions.oauife.edu.ng; JAMB Policy Meeting communique 2026; OAU registry bulletins; JAMB Brochure 2026.