UNIJOS TRIUMPHS AS NIGERIA’S UNIVERSITY OF FIRST CHOICE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS; SECURES TOP PRIZE AT 6TH EDITION OF NATAP-M AWARDS

UniJos Triumphs as Nigeria’s University of First Choice for International Students; Secures Top Prize at 6th Edition of NATAP-M Awards  

The University of Jos (UniJos) has emerged overall prize winner at the 6th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit (NATAP-M) organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), held alongside its 2026 Admission Policy Meeting in Abuja on Monday 11 May 2026. The University secured the top prize award of Five Hundred Million Naira (₦500,000,000.00) only among eight other winners sharing a total of Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (₦750,000,000.00) in prize money. The emergence of Unijos as the top prize winner is in recognition for its strict compliance with admission guidelines, transparency, top-tier adherence to the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and becoming the nation’s institution with the highest number of admissions of International Students. The NATAP-M Awards were introduced by JAMB to promote transparency, merit, compliance, and excellence in Nigeria’s tertiary admission process. This recognition came as birthday gift to Professor Tanko Ishaya, whose birthday happened to be on the 11th May.

Responding on behalf of all the Awardees, Professor Ishaya appreciated JAMB for introducing these merit awards. He said that the awards highlights Nigerian University System’s commitment to excellence in the admission process, adhering strictly to the guidelines set out by JAMB for the 2025/2026 academic session.  He assured the Minister of Education that Nigerian Universities will continue to support Government in its bid to reposition University education in the Country. He further assured all stakeholders that the monies will be judiciously utilised to further develop its educational infrastructure, equipment and services. 

VC Presents Award to Management, Staff and Students of the University

Presenting the award to Management, the Committee of Deans and Directors, staff and students of University in his office today 15 May 2026, the Vice Chancellor reported that the award is the outcome of JAMB’s rating of all Universities in five objective criteria where the University of Jos was ranked 1^st Institution with the highest number of admissions of international students; 2^nd most compliant with the 2025 policy guidelines and 6^th most national in admissions spread.  These rankings made the University the overall and highest Prize Winner of the 6^th Edition of National Tertiary Admissions’ Performance Merit Award. 

Professor Ishaya noted that the achievement is a clear demonstration of the administration’s vision to position Unijos as a globally competitive institution driven by excellence, innovation, integrity, and transparency. He said that one of the priorities and focus of his administration was to ensure that UniJos regains its status as an international and global competitive University.  He said this honour aligns with the University’s recent recognition as a recipient of the 2026 Plateau Man of the Year Award for Institutional Legacy and Academic Excellence.  Earlier in the year, University of Jos was ranked in the top 10 Nigerian Universities by the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2026. This significant achievement places UniJos alongside four other renowned Nigerian institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Ilorin, and Federal University of Technology, Minna, within the global ranking bracket of 1201–1500. This highlights the University's growing reputation as a preferred, reliable, and high-performing institution in Nigeria.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ishaya, has attributed the success to the commitment of all Staff of the University, and charged that the recognition should be a benchmark for excellence going forward. He proposed that the funds be used to further enhance the University's capacity for international students experience and academic excellence.

Delivering a vote of thanks at the presentation, the Dean of Students Affairs, Professor Christopher Piwuna commended the Vice Chancellor for displaying uncommon courage and steadfast focus in leadership particularly as it concerns admissions. He recalled how a few years ago, the Vice Chancellor was the target of scathing criticism on admission irregularities, which he spent sleepless nights addressing. He stated that this award is indeed a vindication of the Vice Chancellor’s posture of integrity.

God bless our dear Unijos.

Emmanuel Madugu, ANIPR

Deputy Registrar,

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