JAMB: “I’m Confused, Can I Study Accountancy In Polytechnic With 200 UTME Score,” Lecturer Reacts

• A Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate said she is confused because of her score
• She explained that her dream of becoming an accountant might not come to pass if he fails to secure admission to the course
• An experienced polytechnic lecturer has provided insight into how UTME candidates are admitted

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide

Anonymous wrote:

'I seriously need a professional advice on what to do after scoring 200 in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

"I want to study accountancy in the polytechnics but I'm so worried and confused due to my score and the competitive nature of the course.

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"I've heard different kind of stories about how slim my chances of gaining admission. Pls, someone should help me get out of this nightmare."

Effortless admission

A lecturer at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi, in Plateau state, who spoke on condition of anonymity said Accountancy is a competitive course but with a 200 score in UTME, the candidate should gain admission into any polytechnic of his/her choice.

He explained that the cut-off marks for admission into any polytechnic in Nigeria is between 120 and 140. Hence, any UTME candidate who scores 200 should be admitted effortlessly and on merit.

“Of course it is actually more than enough, the cut off points for Polytechnic is between 120 and 140. So the person who scored 200 have the leeway to choose the broad range of alternative courses. Accountancy is a quite competitive course and all that but the 200 should give the person an effortless admission, all things being equal, by merit the person is supposed to be admitted without any issue.”

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Good UTME score is not enough

The lecturer further stated that effortless admission would happen only if the candidate O level results were intact.

“Yes. 200 Like I was telling you about would get the person admission effortlessly on the grounds that their O levels are intact. You cannot have that kind of score and is not commensurate with your performance from WAEC. It is expected that if you score as high as 200 you should have your O level intact.

“I don't know anything about the accounting department, I am with the Agric engineering department. For the Department of Accountancy, as a matter of fact, even if the person didn’t score up to 200 Like I was telling you, 120, 140 is like a benchmark. So if you want to be on the…from 160 upward, so 200 is actually more than enough for us to get that person admitted. Like I said, on the grounds that their O levels are intact.”

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Some UTME candidates with high scores may not secure admission

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that JAMB said some candidates who scored high marks in the just concluded 2024 UTME may not secure admission to tertiary institutions.

The spokesman of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the UTME is not a pass-fail examination but a selection exercise.

Benjamin said UTME candidates who scored less than 200 cannot be said to have failed the examination. He said their score might just be enough for the course they applied to study at the university.

Source: Legit.ng