AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY (ABU), ZARIA RELEASES NEW ADMISSION GUIDELINES AND AVAILABLE COURSES FOR 2026/2027
The management of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has issued an important admission update to all Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) candidates for the 2026/2027 academic session.
In a notice titled Special Bulletin Volume 18, No. 68, dated October 9, 2026, the university provided information on programmes whose admission quotas have been filled, courses still available for admission and the requirements candidates must consider before applying for a change of programme.
The university also released guidelines for candidates with deficiencies in certain O'Level subjects, explaining the alternative programmes they may consider based on their JAMB subject combinations and O'Level results.
1. ABU Programmes That Have Exhausted Their Admission Quotas
According to the university, the admission quotas for the following programmes have been filled:
- Architecture
- Medicine and Surgery (MBBS)
- Dental Surgery
- Nursing Sciences
- Medical Laboratory Science
- Medical Radiography
- Pharmacy
- Civil Law
- Islamic Law
- Computer Science
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Criminology and Security Management
- International Studies
- Mass Communication
Candidates are advised to stop applying for changes of programme into the courses listed above.
Those who have already been screened for any of these programmes but have not secured admission are also advised to consider other suitable programmes with available admission spaces.
2. Candidates Yet to Upload Their O'Level Results
The university has requested candidates who were recommended for admission by their respective faculties, particularly Direct Entry applicants whose admissions could not be processed because their O'Level results had not been uploaded, to visit a nearby JAMB Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre immediately.
Candidates are advised to use recognised JAMB CBT centres rather than roadside cafés to complete the upload.
The university warned that failure to upload the required results promptly could lead to the forfeiture of admission opportunities.
3. Change of Programme Still Open
ABU has stated that candidates can still apply for changes of programme within the university or transfer from other universities into programmes with available admission quotas.
However, applications for programmes without available spaces or with limited admission quotas will not be entertained.
Interested candidates are therefore advised to carefully check their JAMB subject combinations and O'Level qualifications before choosing another programme.
4. Available Programmes and Required JAMB Subject Combinations
The university released the following guide to help candidates identify programmes they may consider based on the subjects they sat for in their JAMB examinations.
| S/N | JAMB subject combination | Available programmes for change |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | English, Biology, Physics and Chemistry | Agricultural Extension; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Forestry and Wildlife Management; Biology; Botany; Zoology; Geology; Glass and Silicate Technology; Biology Education; Chemistry Education |
| 2 | English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry | Agricultural and Bio-Resources Engineering; Automotive Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Electronics and Communication Engineering; Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; Mining Engineering; Polymer and Textile |
| 3 | English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry/Biology | Physics; Statistics |
| 4 | English, Mathematics and any two of Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Geography | Mathematics; Statistics |
| 5 | English, Geography, Biology and any other subject from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Agricultural Science and Economics | Geography |
| 6 | English, Mathematics/Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Agriculture | Forestry and Wildlife Management |
| 7 | English, Mathematics, Economics/Commerce and any other two relevant subjects | Marketing |
| 8 | English, Mathematics, Economics/Commerce and any Management or Social Science subject | Banking and Finance; Insurance; Actuarial Science; Marketing |
| 9 | English, Chemistry and any other two science subjects | Chemistry Education |
| 10 | English, Biology and any other two science subjects | Biology Education |
| 11 | English, Physics and any other two science subjects | Physics Education |
| 12 | English, Geography and any other two science subjects | Geography Education |
| 13 | English, Government/History/Civic Education and any other Arts or Social Science subjects | History; Local Government and Development Studies; Political Science; Sociology; International Studies; Guidance and Counselling; Social Studies; Language Arts; Literature in English |
| 14 | English, Arabic and any other subjects | B.A. Arabic; B.Ed. Education and Arabic; B.Ed. Islamic Studies |
| 15 | English, Hausa and any other subjects | B.A. Hausa; B.Ed. Education and Hausa |
| 16 | English, Mathematics, Physics, Geography and any other science subjects | Urban and Regional Planning; Geomatics; Quantity Surveying; Building |
Candidates should use the table as a guide when considering a change of programme and confirm that they satisfy the university's admission requirements.
5. Change of Programme Options for Candidates with O'Level Deficiencies
The university also addressed candidates who have deficiencies in some O'Level subjects.
According to the notice, candidates with a deficiency in English Language are not eligible for admission into any programme in the university.
However, candidates with deficiencies in other subjects may use the following guide to identify alternative programmes based on their O'Level results and JAMB subject combinations.