The American University of Nigeria (AUN), located in Yola, Adamawa State, is a private institution accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Every admission cycle, candidates who choose AUN as their institution of choice during JAMB registration want to know the exact UTME score they need to stand a chance of admission. This article explains AUN’s general JAMB cut off mark, the departmental requirements for each course the university runs, and what candidates need to do after meeting the cut off mark.
AUN’s General JAMB Cut Off Mark
AUN sets its own general cut off mark independently, but it cannot go below the national minimum benchmark that JAMB and other stakeholders approve at the annual Policy Meeting on Admissions. For the 2026/2027 admission cycle, JAMB fixed 150 as the national minimum score for entry into any Nigerian university, whether federal, state, or private.
AUN, however, sets its own general cut off mark higher than this national floor. The university’s general JAMB cut off mark for the 2026/2027 session stands at 160. This means that any candidate who scored below 160 in the UTME is not eligible to apply to AUN, regardless of how strong their O’Level results are. A score of 160 or above only makes a candidate eligible to proceed to the next stage of the admission process; it does not by itself guarantee a spot.
It is worth noting that because AUN is a private university, it also considers candidates through Direct Entry and through its own internal placement examinations for candidates who did not use AUN as their first JAMB choice. Even so, UTME performance remains one of the central pieces of the admission decision for candidates coming in through JAMB.
Why the Cut Off Mark Differs by Course
A general cut off mark is only the first filter. Beyond that, each school and department within AUN can request a higher score for its own admission screening, particularly for courses that receive more applications than there are available seats. Courses such as Computer Science, Accounting, and Mass Communication and Media Design tend to attract more applicants than technical or newer programmes, so competition for admission slots in high-demand courses can be tighter even when the published cut off mark looks the same on paper.
Candidates should treat the general cut off mark as the minimum entry ticket and understand that actual admission also depends on:
- The number of available slots in the chosen department for that session
- The strength of the applicant pool for that specific course
- Performance at AUN’s post-UTME screening or its equivalent internal assessment
- O’Level subject combination and grades relevant to the course
AUN Courses and Their JAMB Cut Off Marks
AUN runs undergraduate programmes across six schools: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business & Entrepreneurship, the School of Information Technology & Computing, the School of Law, the School of Engineering, and the School of Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences. The table below groups the major undergraduate courses by school and shows the applicable JAMB cut off mark for the 2026/2027 admission exercise.
| School | Course | JAMB Cut Off Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Sciences | Communications & Multimedia Design | 160 |
| Arts & Sciences | Natural & Environmental Sciences | 160 |
| Arts & Sciences | Petroleum Chemistry | 160 |
| Arts & Sciences | Economics | 160 |
| Arts & Sciences | Politics & International Studies | 160 |
| Arts & Sciences | English Language & Literature | 160 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | Business Administration | 160 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | Accounting | 160 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | Finance | 160 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | Marketing | 160 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | Entrepreneurship & Management | 160 |
| Information Technology & Computing | Computer Science | 160 |
| Information Technology & Computing | Information Systems | 160 |
| Engineering | Civil Engineering | 160 |
| Engineering | Chemical Engineering | 160 |
| Engineering | Computer Engineering | 160 |
| Engineering | Electrical & Electronics Engineering | 160 |
| Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences | Public Health | 160 |
| Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences | Nursing Science | 160 |
| Law | Law (LL.B) | 160 |
As the table shows, AUN applies the same general cut off mark of 160 across nearly all its departments rather than fixing separate, wildly different departmental thresholds the way some public universities do for courses like Medicine and Law. This is a direct result of AUN’s admission model, which places heavy weight on its own post-UTME screening, English proficiency assessment, and document verification, rather than relying only on the raw JAMB score to rank candidates within a department.
It is important to state clearly that AUN does not run a Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme. Candidates searching for a cut off mark for Medicine at AUN will not find one because the course does not exist in the university’s academic structure. Applicants who want to study Medicine and Surgery should direct their UTME choice to universities that run NUC- and Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)-accredited medical programmes.
Admission Requirements Beyond the JAMB Score
Meeting the 160 cut off mark is necessary but not sufficient. AUN also requires the following from every undergraduate applicant:
- A minimum of five credit passes in relevant O’Level subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, obtained from WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, GCE, or IGCSE.
- These five credits must generally come from not more than two sittings.
- A subject combination relevant to the chosen course (for example, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry for Engineering courses; Economics, Government, and Mathematics or a related subject for Business courses).
- Submission of the JAMB result slip as proof of the UTME score.
- A completed AUN application form, along with secondary school transcripts.
- A recommendation letter, typically from a teacher, school head, or counsellor.
- A personal statement or essay, which AUN uses to assess writing ability and fit with its liberal arts model.
- Successful completion of AUN’s post-UTME or internal placement screening, including physical verification of original certificates.
Because AUN runs an American-style liberal arts curriculum, its screening process also evaluates English proficiency and analytical writing more closely than many conventional Nigerian universities. Candidates should prepare for this stage rather than assume that a strong JAMB score alone secures a place.
How to Confirm Eligibility After JAMB Results
Once JAMB results are released, a candidate who chose AUN as their institution should take the following steps to confirm eligibility and begin the admission process:
- Check the UTME score against the confirmed 160 cut off mark for the session.
- Log in to the JAMB portal to confirm that AUN is correctly listed as the institution and course of choice.
- Visit the AUN admissions portal to complete or submit the university application form.
- Upload or submit O’Level results, the JAMB result slip, transcripts, and the required recommendation letter.
- Register for and attend AUN’s post-UTME screening exercise when scheduled.
- Await the admission list, which AUN releases directly and which also reflects on the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
- Accept the admission offer on JAMB CAPS once formally admitted, since failure to do this on the JAMB portal can invalidate the admission even after a candidate has been offered a place by the university.
Candidates should note that private universities like AUN generally have a later admission deadline than public universities, giving applicants more time to complete post-UTME screening and document submission.
What Happens If a Candidate Scores Below the Cut Off Mark
A candidate who scores below 160 cannot proceed with an application to AUN for that admission cycle through the regular UTME route. In this situation, candidates have a few realistic options:
- Consider a change of institution on the JAMB CAPS portal to a university whose cut off mark matches the score obtained.
- Explore Direct Entry into AUN in a later cycle if the candidate holds a relevant National Diploma, NCE, or A-Level qualification, since Direct Entry candidates are assessed differently from UTME candidates.
- Retake the UTME in the next JAMB cycle to improve the score before reapplying to AUN.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the JAMB cut off mark for American University of Nigeria for 2026/2027?
The general JAMB cut off mark for AUN is 160 for the 2026/2027 admission session, above the national minimum of 150 approved by JAMB for that cycle.
Does AUN have different cut off marks for different courses?
No. AUN applies the same general cut off mark of 160 across its undergraduate courses. Course-specific competition is instead managed through post-UTME screening, available slots, and subject requirements rather than a separately raised JAMB score per course.
Does American University of Nigeria offer Medicine and Surgery?
No. AUN does not run a Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme, so there is no cut off mark for that course at AUN. Its Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences school offers Public Health and Nursing Science instead.
Is meeting the JAMB cut off mark enough to gain admission into AUN?
No. Meeting the cut off mark only makes a candidate eligible to apply and sit for AUN’s post-UTME screening. Final admission also depends on O’Level results, screening performance, and available slots in the chosen department.
Can a candidate with less than 160 still get admission into AUN?
Not through the standard UTME route for that admission cycle. Such a candidate can consider Direct Entry (if qualified), change their institution of choice on JAMB CAPS, or retake the UTME to meet the required score in a future cycle.