The University of Jos has claimed the top prize at the 6th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Awards, walking away with ₦500,000,000 from a total prize pool of ₦750,000,000 shared among nine winning institutions.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board organised the awards alongside its 2026 Admission Policy Meeting in Abuja, recognising institutions for strict compliance, transparency, and excellence in Nigeria's tertiary admissions process.

A statement by the Deputy Registrar for Information, Publications, Protocol and Public Relations, Emmanuel Madugu, disclosed that UniJos earned the top prize for its strict compliance with admission guidelines, top tier adherence to the Central Admissions Processing System, and for recording the highest number of international student admissions among all Nigerian institutions.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Tanko Ishaya, while receiving the award, appreciated JAMB for introducing the merit based recognition and noted that the honour coincided with his birthday on 11 May.

"This recognition came as a birthday gift to Professor Tanko Ishaya, whose birthday happened to be on 11 May," the statement noted.

Speaking to management staff and students, Prof. Tanko revealed that UniJos was rated across five objective criteria, ranking 1st for international student admissions, 2nd for compliance with 2025 policy guidelines, and 6th for national spread in admissions.

He assured the Minister of Education that Nigerian universities would continue to support government efforts to reposition university education, and committed that the prize funds would be directed towards developing educational infrastructure, equipment, and services.

The vice chancellor described the award as consistent with his administration's vision to position UniJos as a globally competitive institution, noting that the University was also ranked among the top 10 Nigerian universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2026, within the global bracket of 1201 to 1500, alongside Ahmadu Bello University, University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Ilorin, and Federal University of Technology Minna.

Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, in his vote of thanks, described the award as a vindication of the Vice Chancellor's integrity, recalling earlier criticisms over admission irregularities that the institution has since resolved.