What is Catchment Areas, ELDS and Merit List?

Admission is given based on three factors - Ratio 45:35:20

DIFFERENCES IN MERIT, CATCHMENT AREAS, AND EDUCATIONALLY LESS DEVELOPED STATES AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOUR ADMISSION

In short, you're on this page to understand what admission on Merit, Catchment areas and Educationally Less Developed States is all about. These terms have to do with the allocation of admission spaces for prospective candidates in our universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

If you’ve been seeking admission for some years now, you could have come across these terms. Let me show you what they are if you're just finding out for the first time.

Before some schools will admit new admission seekers, they first divide their proposed lists into what they will give on merit, catchment areas, and less educated states.

1. Merit Admission List

By merit, these are candidates whose scores meet or beat the departmental cut-off marks. Hence, such candidates can’t be limited by anything. I call this "sure admission"! 

This division is usually 45% of the entire admission list. This is in accordance with the JAMB and Federal Government directive.

Recommended: JAMB Brochure for Federal University Of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State

2. Catchment Areas

For Catchment areas, some schools recognize the states where they’re situated and neighboring states under this category before other states. 

Hence, they consider indigenes from these states lesser marks than merit departmental cut-off marks. This division accounts for 35% of the total admission list.

Recommended: Is Local Government Identification Same Certificate of Origin?

3. Educationally Less Developed States 

By the less educated states or educationally less privileged states, this is the category of applicants from states of the nation categorized as those who are not well educated and needed to be encouraged.

Meanwhile, the federal government has encouraged schools to lower their requirements for the candidates from these states in order to accommodate them. This division accounts for 20% of the total admission list.

Recommended: UNIABUJA IJMB Form: Price, Portal, Closing Date

List of Nigerian Universities and Their Catchment Areas

1. Ahmadu Bello University: Kaduna Adamawa, Bauchi,  Benue, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Taraba
2. ATBU: Bauchi Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
3. BAYERO: Kano Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara
4. FUTA: Ondo Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo
5. FUTMinna: Minna Niger, Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara
6. FUTO: Imo Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu
7. FUT Yola: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
8. OAU: Osun Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo
9. UDU: Sokoto Jigawa, Kwara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara
10. UNN: Enugu Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Rivers
11. UNIBEN: Edo Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
12. UNICAL: Cross-Rivers Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
13. UNIJOS: Plateau Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau
14. UNILAG: Lagos Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun
15. UNILORIN: Ilorin Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara
16. UNIMAID: Borno Adamawa, Borno. Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
17. UNIUYO: Akwa-Ibom Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
18. UNIZIK: Anambra, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo

Recommended: Will ABU Write Post UTME or Do Screening?

Universities that Don't Use Catchment Areas

Here is the list of schools that don’t reckon with catchment areas but only less privileged states

1. University of Abuja (UNIABUJA)
2. University of Ibadan (UI)
3. The Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (UMUDIKE)
4. Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (MAKURDI) 
5. University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) 
6. The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB)
7. Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE)

Educationally Less Developed States

Now, let’s see the list of states categorized as less educated or less privileged states.

1. Adamawa, 
2. Bauchi, 
3. Bayelsa, 
4. Benue, 
5. Borno, 
6. Cross-River, 
7. Ebonyi 
8. Gombe, 
9. Jigawa, 
10. Kaduna, 
11. Kano, 
12. Katsina, 
13. Kebbi, 
14. Kogi, 
15. Kwara, 
16. Nasarawa, 
17. Niger, 
18. Plateau, 
19. Rivers, 
20. Sokoto, 
21. Taraba, 
22. Yobe, 
23. Zamfara.

Conclusion

When a friend of yours gains the admission and you think you’re cheated for being deprived, his success could have emerged from the ratio formula - 45:35:20. If you take a closer look, you may finally see beyond your nose.

After taking everything else into consideration - good O’level results, UTME score, and Post UTME score, your chance to be given admission may still depend on the factors mentioned above and the ratio of science, commercial, and art students to admit.

If your total aggregate mark is perfect for your course, in any school, no one can deny you. But if limited by this, you can take advantage of these institutions that favor more catchment areas and less privileged states. To do this, you must have claimed any of these states during UTME registration or earlier done the change of state/local government.

NEED a guide, update, or answer on something? You can spend just #1000 to get professional answers and guides. Click here to request Mr. Techie's INSTANT REPLY. 

HELP SOMEONE:  People would appreciate it if you could just share this post with them on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. Use the share icons below for your convenience.

Best Related Posts

1. How JAMB and Each School Will Give Admission This Year.
2. How to Change Institutions/Courses the Third Time. See Guide!
3. What JAMB and Schools Do When you Reject Admission on the CAPS 
4. ABU 19 Catchment and 23 Educational Less Developed States
5. How to Gain Admission into the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN): A - Z GUIDE