Reasons You may not make it to the merit admission list

The merit admission list is the 1st batch list of admitted candidates. Many candidates have been asking how come their names are not on the Merit admission list of the schools of choice despite having high JAMB Scores and even good Post-UTME results.

That is understandable considering the fact that the desire and expectation of every Admission seeker to be admitted in the 1st batch or merit admission list of his or her school of choice especially when such candidates have good scores in JAMB.

There are factors that may cause a candidate’s name to be omitted in the Merit or first batch Admission list. Let’s look at the 3 common ones among them.

You did not Meet the Departmental Cut-off Mark: Some schools make their departmental cut-off marks known while some other schools don’t. Each course of study in any school usually has its specific cut-off mark. So that you have a high JAMB Score which also qualified you to participate in your school’s Post-UTME screening does not automatically mean that you are qualified for admission in that course.

You have to equally meet the required UTME and Post-UTME cut-off marks for that course. Sometimes if the candidates that applied for a particular course in a school happen to do very well in the screening exercise, the school may have no choice than to increase the initial cut-off mark it proposed for that course without the knowledge of the candidates.

Your Subject Combination is not correct Or Incomplete: Many candidates do not consider this important factor before choosing a course of study. If your UTME and O’level subjects do not match the ones required for the particular course you intend to study, there is no way you will be admitted to that course.

Such candidates may be considered for admission later if their school of choice advertises Supplementary admission and they are able to apply for a course that matches their Subject Combination.

Your Department Has Lost Its Accreditation: Your school of choice may lose its accreditation for a course or department it earlier advertised for admission. If something like that happens, the school will have no choice but to either admit a limited number of candidates in that department or not admit anyone at all. Candidates affected by this are usually told to apply for supplementary admission or change of course.

Your Name Didn’t Make the 45% Merit Quota: According to the admission policy, just 45% percent of the total number of candidates to be admitted in any school are to be admitted based on Merit. The truth is that not every qualified candidate for admission will be among this 45% that will be considered for admission based on merit regardless of your JAMB or Post-UTME Score.

Incorrect Or No O’level Result on JAMB CAPS: The problem could also be that you have not uploaded your O’level results on JAMB CAPS or it has not been properly uploaded. Candidates are therefore advised to ensure that their O’level results are correctly uploaded on JAMB CAPS . If you need to confirm your O’level result is on JAMB CAPS, check this link: Steps To Confirm Your O’level Results Are Uploaded on JAMB CAPS If you need to upload your O’level results on JAMB CAPS, check this link: Upload WAEC/NECO To JAMB Portal – See Steps

If you did not make the merit admission list, I will advise you get the supplementary admission of your school of choice once it is advertised. However, in a case where supplementary admission is not announced, the best you can do is to wait for more admission batches to be released.