What the JAMB brochure is
The JAMB Brochure — officially the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS) brochure — is the document the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board publishes every year listing every approved course, the institutions that offer it, and the entry requirements for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions. For each course it shows the four UTME subjects to register, the O’Level (WAEC/NECO/NABTEB) credits required, the Direct Entry requirements, and any special considerations set by particular institutions.
In plain terms: before you register for the UTME or choose an institution on CAPS, the brochure is how you confirm that your preferred school offers your course and that you are registering the correct subjects. Registering the wrong combination is one of the most common reasons candidates lose admission — so this one check matters more than almost anything else you do during registration.
Check your course’s subject combination instantly
Reading a 4 MB brochure PDF to find one course is slow. Our free JAMB Subject Combination Checker turns the brochure into a search box: type your course and it instantly shows the four UTME subjects to register, with each subject linked to its syllabus, plus the O’Level requirement and cut-off guidance for popular courses.
- Subject Combination Checker — search any of 620+ courses and get its UTME subjects at once.
- Subject Combinations hub — browse every course A–Z, with full guides (cut-off marks and universities) for 100+ of them.
Check my subject combination →
Whatever the checker shows, always confirm your exact course and institution in the official brochure below before you register — requirements can differ slightly from one university to another.
Subject combinations for popular courses
Here are the widely used UTME subject combinations for some of the most competitive courses (Use of English is compulsory for every candidate). Search your own course in the checker for the rest.
| Course | UTME subject combination |
|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | Use of English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics |
| Pharmacy | Use of English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics |
| Nursing / Nursing Science | Use of English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics |
| Law | Use of English, Literature in English, Government/History, and one other relevant Arts/Social Science subject |
| Computer Science | Use of English, Mathematics, Physics, and one of Biology, Chemistry, Agricultural Science, Economics or Geography |
| Mechanical / Civil Engineering | Use of English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry |
| Accounting | Use of English, Mathematics, Economics, and one other relevant Social Science subject |
| Mass Communication | Use of English, plus three subjects relevant to the specialisation area |
| Architecture | Use of English, Physics, Mathematics, and one of Chemistry, Geography, Fine Art, Biology or Economics |
These reflect the widely used requirements for 2026/2027. Some institutions vary — confirm yours in the official JAMB brochure (IBASS).
How to use the JAMB brochure
Whether you use the checker or the official PDF, the method is the same:
- Decide your course. Know the exact course (and degree type) you want before you open the brochure.
- Confirm the institution offers it. Not every school runs every course — check that your preferred university, polytechnic or college of education actually offers it.
- Check the UTME subject combination. Note the four subjects to register — Use of English plus three others tied to your course.
- Check the O’Level requirement. Most courses need five relevant credits (including English and Mathematics for many courses), usually within two sittings.
- Check special considerations. Some institutions add higher cut-offs, catchment/state rules, or extra O’Level subjects. Cross-check on the school’s own site too.
How to download the official JAMB brochure PDF
The only authoritative copy of the brochure comes from JAMB itself — we do not re-host it, because it is JAMB’s official document and it changes each year. To get the current PDF:
- Go to ibass.jamb.gov.ng (or open jamb.gov.ng and click IBASS under Quick Links).
- Open Brochure to launch the interactive brochure.
- Select your faculty, institution type, course or institution.
- View the requirements on screen, or download the section as a PDF.
Because IBASS lets you filter to exactly your course and school, you rarely need the whole booklet — and you avoid the outdated or wrongly labelled PDFs floating around on other sites.
IBASS: the official interactive brochure & eligibility checker
IBASS stands for Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System. Alongside the brochure and e-syllabus, it has an eligibility checker: you select your mode of admission (UTME or Direct Entry), institution type, institution and programme, then click to see whether you are eligible for that course at that school. It is the official, free way to confirm your choice before you pay for registration — use it together with our checker, which is faster for a quick look-up across many courses.
Universities, polytechnics & colleges of education
The brochure is not only for university candidates. It covers every approved institution type, each with its own requirements:
- Universities — Bachelor’s degree programmes.
- Polytechnics and monotechnics — National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND).
- Colleges of education — Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE).
- Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) — National Innovation Diplomas in skills-focused fields.
Whichever you are aiming for, check that specific section — the same course name can carry different requirements across institution types.
JAMB brochure vs syllabus
Students often confuse the two, but they answer different questions:
- The brochure tells you what to register and where — institutions, courses, and UTME/O’Level/Direct Entry requirements.
- The syllabus tells you what to study — the topics and objectives for each subject. You can work through every subject on our Study Centre.
You need both: the brochure to register correctly, the syllabus to prepare well.
Direct Entry & O’Level requirements
For UTME candidates, the brochure shows the four subjects to sit and the O’Level credits required — usually five relevant credits including English and, for many courses, Mathematics. For Direct Entry candidates, it shows the advanced qualifications accepted (such as two A’Level passes, NCE, ND or HND), and the O’Level requirements still apply. For a full walk-through of the O’Level side, see JAMB and O’Level requirements explained.
Avoid the wrong subject combination
A wrong subject combination can make you ineligible for your course no matter how high your score — and you cannot change your UTME subjects after you have registered and paid. So confirm twice: run your course through the checker for a fast answer, then verify it in the official IBASS brochure for your exact institution before you register. If you are reconsidering your course entirely, see good courses for a lower JAMB score and how to change your course of study.