Below is a sample of some departmental cut-off marks. The full list covers over 90 courses, each with three thresholds:
Merit – The score for candidates outside ELDS and catchment states
ELDS – Slightly reduced scores for applicants from educationally less developed states
Catchment – States close to Sokoto that receive special consideration
Examples:
Medicine & Surgery – Merit: 290, ELDS: 280, Catchment: 250
Nursing Science – Merit: 240, ELDS: 230, Catchment: 210
Law (Common & Islamic) – Merit: 250, ELDS: 240, Catchment: 230
Computer Science – Merit: 180, ELDS: 170, Catchment: 160
Civil Engineering – Merit: 180, ELDS: 170, Catchment: 160
Mass Communication – Merit: 180, ELDS: 170, Catchment: 160
Political Science – Merit: 170, ELDS: 160, Catchment: 150
Biochemistry – Merit: 170, ELDS: 160, Catchment: 150
Economics – 150 across all three categories
Veterinary Medicine – Merit: 190, ELDS: 180, Catchment: 170
Other courses like Education, Arts, Social Sciences, and Management Sciences mostly maintain a flat cut-off of 150 across all categories.
What Do Merit, ELDS, and Catchment Mean?
Merit – For candidates who don’t fall into the ELDS or Catchment categories. This is the general cut-off mark.
ELDS – Candidates from Educationally Less Developed States (e.g., Yobe, Taraba, Niger) may be considered with slightly lower scores.
Catchment – States geographically closer to Sokoto (like Kebbi, Zamfara) enjoy a modest score reduction.
This tiered approach helps ensure fairness while maintaining competitive standards.
.
