A female candidate seeking admission to study Medicine at the University of Lagos, Owoeye Jesudunsin, has emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination after scoring 372 out of a possible 400 marks.
This emerged when the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board unveiled the top-performing candidates on Monday during its 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.
Owoeye, who sat the examination in Ogun State and hails from Ekiti State, applied to study Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at UNILAG.
Coming behind Jesudunsin was Enwere Ikenna from Imo State, who scored 370 and applied to Nile University of Nigeria to study Computer Science.
Bamisile Emmanuel from Ondo State secured the third position with 369 marks and applied to the Federal University of Technology, Akure, to study Software Engineering.
Other candidates on the top scorers’ list recorded between 367 and 368 marks.
They include Olabiyisi Olanrewaju Oluwatimileyin from Oyo State, who applied to Pan-Atlantic University for Mechatronics Engineering; Victor-Onyeka Daniel Ifeanyi from Imo State, who selected University of Port Harcourt for Electrical/Electronics Engineering; and Osagiobare Daniel Osahenrumwen from Edo State, who applied to University of Benin for Mechanical Engineering.
Others are Ademiluyi Adebowale Anthony from Osun State, who chose Obafemi Awolowo University for Computer Engineering, and Azuike Kenechukwu Anthony from Anambra State, who applied to Afe Babalola University for Software Engineering.
Offorkile Michael Okechukwu from Abia State, Adebisi Eniola Sonari from Ogun State and Umukoro Gift Orhenevovwero from Delta State also made the top scorers’ category with 367 marks each.
JAMB noted that over two million candidates participated in the 2026 UTME nationwide.
Varsities retain 150 benchmark
The revelation of the top scorers came as JAMB and stakeholders in the tertiary education sector retained 150 as the minimum admission benchmark for universities for the 2025/2026 admission exercise.
The meeting also approved 100 as the benchmark for polytechnics and colleges of education, while colleges of nursing retained 150.
However, tertiary institutions retain the power to fix higher cut-off marks for their applicants.
The benchmark was adopted after extensive deliberations and voting by heads of tertiary institutions at the meeting.
The meeting convened by the JAMB was attended by vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and other stakeholders.
The approved scores, officially known as the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Scores, imply that no institution is permitted to admit candidates who score below the benchmark.
Last year, universities also adopted 150 as the minimum benchmark, while polytechnics and colleges of education retained 100.
Punchng
