How To Gain Admission into ABU - Ahmadu Bello University

ABU logo

You must have heard some myths about ABU.

“They only accept Muslims”. “They only accept applicants from the north”

There are more hearsays really. But how true? Let’s find out.

To say the truth, ABU is one of those universities that take catchment areas seriously. They also recognize educationally less developed states as being required by the federal government.

Before you say, "didn't I tell you", OAU, UI, UNILAG, UNIBEN, UNILORIN, etc. use the same or similar quotas in their admissions. This doesn’t imply that their admission lists are not on merit. They are but there is more to understand about them. 

Let's keep reading.

I explained what catchment areas and less educated states are in my recent post. Recognizing these two criteria is not limited to ABU, other federal universities do the same. If you read the post I referred to above, you will understand me better.

But if I said, you could gain admission to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria on merit, you’d ask me, "how?" Just follow the guide below.

I’d followed this guide for my students from the southwest for several years and it worked just well.

ABU has no major differences from other universities in Nigeria; except for some important tweaks that will be covered in this post.

Let’s get started. I will be covering the following areas:

1. Ascertain your O’level results are complete
2. Choose ABU in UTME as the first choice with the right Course.
3. Obtain ABU post-UTME when on sales.
4. Gaining Admission to ABU as Direct Entry Applicants
5. How Does ABU Treat their Pre-degree or Remedial Students for Admission to 100 level
6. How ABU Distributes Admission Spaces Among Applicants

Save Me the Time, Give Me The Summary

If you don't want to follow me into the details of gaining admission into  Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, you should check the briefs below. If you want more, read to the end of the post.

Gaining admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) requires meeting specific requirements and following certain steps. Here are the steps with references and citations:

1. Meet the Admission Requirements: The first step to gaining admission into ABU is to meet the admission requirements. These requirements include meeting the cut-off mark, possessing the right O'level credits, and meeting the faculty-specific requirements. The cut-off mark is determined by JAMB and varies from year to year. As of the most recent admission, the cut-off mark for ABU is 180 for most courses. The O'level requirements are usually a minimum of five credits in relevant subjects, including Mathematics and English Language. For faculty-specific requirements, applicants should check the ABU Brochure for details.
2. Apply for JAMB: After meeting the admission requirements, you need to register and sit for the UTME examination conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Ensure that you select ABU as your preferred choice of institution during the JAMB registration process.
3. Score High in UTME: The UTME score is a significant determinant of admission into ABU. Applicants should strive to score high in the UTME as it forms a significant portion of the admission criteria.
4. Apply for Post-UTME: After the UTME, applicants need to apply for the ABU post-UTME screening. The post-UTME screening is a computer-based test. Applicants should prepare adequately for the post-UTME by studying past questions and familiarizing themselves with the admission process.
5. Check Admission List: After the post-UTME, ABU releases its admission list. Applicants should regularly check the ABU website and JAMB CAPS portal for updates on admission status.

In conclusion, gaining admission into ABU requires meeting specific requirements, registering and sitting for the UTME examination, scoring high in the UTME, applying for the ABU post-UTME screening, and checking the admission list. Applicants should pay attention to details and follow the steps carefully to increase their chances of gaining admission into ABU.

That summary is not enough, I get you covered with the practical explanation as detailed below. Enjoy!

1. Be Sure Your O’level Results Are Complete

Some applicants blindly seek admission without complete results. Some have one or two deficiencies in very important subjects. Yet, they believe, since ABU is a northern university, it can just accept anything weaker or inferior results. Forget that and pay attention to the information below about your O’level results.

ABU is consistently accepting all O’level results including NBAIS; which you might have heard about. I posted some information about the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) earlier. You can check it out for further details.

You need 5 credit passes in O’level subjects relevant to your proposed course in the school. The university equally allows ordinary passes in SSCE (certain subjects) for some courses. JAMB brochure has details on this on the post, "JAMB Brochure For Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State".

You can combine two O’level results in any way possible e.g. WAEC plus NECO, WAEC plus NABTEB, NECO plus NABTEB, etc. For some courses, you may not use more than a sitting, however. Some schools don’t allow this. I advise you not to process the university's admission into Nursing, Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and a few other competitive courses with more than one SSCE.

You can check my post on “How to Study, Understand and Use JAMB Brochure: Admission Success Channel.” as a guide to know what to look for in the JAMB brochure.

And to know directly if you're qualified for a course at ABU, kindly check your eligibility status here.

Using Awaiting Results for ABU Admission

Having said that O'level result was a must for you, you could as well apply with awaiting results during JAMB registration if you're yet to write any SSCE or you're expecting to make up for a deficiency or two.

ABU entrance

In this case, you will have to return to the JAMB CBT center when your result is out and the required subjects are made. There, you will upload the result which was kept awaiting before.

No institution will give admission to any candidates using awaiting results as at the time admission lists are being prepared.

Recommended: JAMB Brochure For Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State

2. Choose ABU in UTME as the First Choice  

Another silly thinking is that perhaps you can take ABU as a second-choice institution because they are less competitive. Why don’t you ask yourself this, “If ABU is truly less competitive, why couldn’t it admit all its admission seekers?” Hence, I advise you to take ABU as the first choice if you truly need them.

To give you an idea of how competitive courses at ABU can be, check the following stats.

1. In the 2020/2021 academic session, ABU received over 66,000 applications for admission, while the university only had a capacity of about 12,000 spaces for undergraduate students. This means that the university had to select only about 18% of the applicants to fill the available spaces.
2. The same year, the Faculty of Medicine had about 1,800 applicants for only 250 available spaces, making the admission process very competitive. Similarly, the Faculty of Law had over 3,500 applicants for only 200 spaces.

Recommended: Does ABU Accept Second Choice Candidates? Updated!

Be Careful Choosing Your Course at the University

ABU is one of those federal universities offering good courses with the needed infrastructure. You have enough courses to choose from. However, you’ll need a JAMB brochure to guide you on your choice. This is because you don’t only choose a course, you need to understand the following before you do:

1. Is the course available at ABU?
2. What are O’level grades and subjects required for your course of choice?
3. What UTME subjects should you write for the course?
4. Does ABU have special conditions for the course?

Study the "JAMB Brochure For Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State" to answer these questions and more.

In fact, this area calls for special attention. Don't write Yoruba or Igbo in UTME for ABU. The University does test their applicants (during post-UTME) on the same set of subjects they wrote in UTME.

However, they never set Yoruba or Igbo questions during post-UTME. Hence, you would be forced to take only three papers instead of four. With this, you've failed the post-UTME and that's the end of your admission.

Therefore, I suggest you write any other Art subject instead or check your eligibility first for the course.

Recommended: How Does ABU Give Admission to Its Aspirants?

3. Obtain ABU Post UTME When On Sale

Ahmadu Bello University Zaria sells post-UTME forms and tests their candidates.

However, before you can obtain the POST-UTME form and write their test, you must have scored 180 or above for all courses. However the higher your score above 180, the better your chance. And you'll need a very high score for competitive courses.

In your own interest, however, don’t duel on 180 plus for courses like Medicine, and the like. You will need to score really high to compete for the university's top degree courses.

ABU Post UTME CBT hall

It’s certain that candidates seeking competitive courses must do well not only in the UTME but also in the post-UTME.

Do you know why? Your post-UTME score is over 400 just as your JAMB is over 400. The university will offer you admission based on your score in post-UTME eventually.

Now you want to know the departmental cut-off marks for your proposed course. Well, I can’t give you anyone specifically, and here is why. Departmental cut-off marks are not static (stable). They change every year depending on certain factors, such as:

1. Number of students competing for the course
2. Average performance in UTME
3. Average performance in post-UTME

How I wish the school made their departmental cut-off marks completely and regularly public. But it's not; at least not yet. However, this is the cut-off mark popularly believed to be used by the university.

• 220 – 240 – Medicine (O’ Level result with one sitting only) and Nursing
• 200 – Mass Communication, Common Law, Pharmacy, Anatomy, Physiology
• 190 – Computer Science, English Language, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Geology, all engineering courses except Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering.
• 180 – All other courses

You can take a moment to see the updated list of the university's courses and their admission cut-off marks in the post, "Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Departmental Cut-Off Marks".

Recommended: When Will ABU Start To Give Admission To Its Aspirants?

Admission to ABU For Direct Entry (DE) Applicants

This section doesn’t concern UTME candidates. So skip. 

Direct entry (DE) applicants are those who had completed their BSC, HND, ND, NCE, RN, IJMB, JUPEB, Cambridge A’level, Foundation, etc. in a school and decided to proceed to the university to continue with the same courses or related ones.

To seek admission into ABU as a direct entry applicant, you must also:

1. obtain the JAMB form. Yours is called the JAMB Direct entry form instead of the JAMB UTME form.
2. register at any JAMB office nationwide
3. and register for Post DE; at the very time that UTME applicants are registering.

ABU accepts graduates of BSC, HND, ND, NCE, IJMB, DIPLOMA, etc. for its direct entry admission.

Recommended: Direct Entry (DE) JAMB Regularization: Procedures, Price, and Closing Date

ABU also runs IJMB and Diploma programs on her campus and affiliate ones. These candidates are usually their favorites for direct entry spaces. They accept outsiders as well for their degree courses if you have the requirements. Below are what direct entry applicants should know before choosing ABU.

Obviously, before you can apply for ABU post-DE, you must meet the following conditions:

1. Have a minimum of lower credit for ND holders. The higher your grade the better
2. Have a Merit grade for a Diploma
3. 9 points in NCE or IJMB

Kindly, visit, study, and understand the JAMB brochure for further information. I explained what you need to look for in the JAMB brochure here in full.

How ABU Treat Its Pre-Degree or Remedial Students for Admission Into 100 Level

Something is important here. If you're a student of the ABU Remedial programme, you are 99% of the time going to be offered admission to the 100 level.

Let me explain!

In my last 10 years of producing students to the ABU Remedial programme, I never recorded a student who was not eventually offered admission to the 100 level. 

This is why!

You must have failed two of the three conditions below before the school will show you the way home.

1. Failed remedial final exams
2. Failed in UTME
3. Failed in Post-UTME

ABU will consider its pre-degree students for admission to the 100 level if they pass the pre-degree exams, but it's advisable to score 180 or above. Such students will be given admission through remedial instead of JAMB.

The school only asks you to attempt UTME for an official record and to have a JAMB registration number.  If a remedial student passes UTME and fails remedial exams, he or she will still be offered admission through JAMB if he passes the latter.

But if you fail both, you can't even do post-UTME and you're going to miss your beloved campus.

How ABU Distributes Admission Spaces Among Applicants

Like most federal universities (if not all), ABU usually bites more than it can chew. Abdullahi Kundila, the registrar of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has disclosed that over 63,000 candidates applied for admission but only about 10,000 were admitted in 2017. 

What percentage was that? Then who won, and who lost?

ABU follows the 45, 35, and 20 ratio like its counterparts. By this, it means the university will give admission to 45% on merit, 35% based on catchment areas, and 20% based on less-educated states.

Recommended: ABU 19 Catchment and 23 Educational Less Developed States

This doesn’t mean admission given to catchment areas and less educated states is not on merit. No!. It only means the aggregate mark to be considered for (35%) catchment areas will be less than merit, and (20%) less educated will be less.

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