JAMB Subject Combinations for 90 Courses (2027 UTME)
Quick answer: Every UTME candidate writes four subjects. Use of English is compulsory, and the other three depend on the course you want. The tables below give the standard combinations from JAMB’s official brochure on IBASS. Schools can differ for the same course, so confirm your exact course and institution on IBASS before you register for the 2027 UTME.
Last checked against the IBASS brochure: 11 October 2026.
How JAMB subject combinations work
- Four subjects: Use of English plus three subjects required for your course.
- The brochure decides: JAMB’s brochure lists the three subjects for each course, and any school that asks for something different. It is free on ibass.jamb.gov.ng. See how to check the JAMB brochure.
- O’level must match: you also need five O’level credits (WAEC, NECO, NABTEB or equivalent) in not more than two sittings, usually including English Language and Mathematics and the subjects your course asks for.
- 2027 UTME: JAMB has not announced the 2027 registration date. The combinations below come from the brochure on IBASS today. Check your course again when registration opens.
How to choose the right subjects
- Pick your course and two or three schools.
- Look up the course for each school on IBASS: Brochure, View by institution, View Courses, then View Details.
- Choose subjects that satisfy all your schools. Where one school is stricter (for example, Literature in English for Law), take the stricter subject so you keep your options open.
- Check your O’level. Make sure you have credits in the subjects the course requires.
- Test it. JAMB’s eligibility checker on IBASS tells you whether your O’level and UTME subjects meet the requirement for a course.
JAMB subject combinations by course
In each table, Use of English is compulsory and not repeated. “Or” means you choose one. Course names link to our detailed guides where we have one.
Medicine and health sciences
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Medicine and Surgery | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Dentistry / Dental Surgery | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Pharmacy | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Nursing / Nursing Science | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Medical Laboratory Science | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Anatomy | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Physiology | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Physiotherapy | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Radiography | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Medical Rehabilitation | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Veterinary Medicine | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Biochemistry | Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Under some Sciences faculties, Mathematics is accepted in place of Physics |
A few schools accept Mathematics in place of Physics for some health courses. If that matters to you, check the “special consideration” column for your school in the brochure.
Engineering and environmental courses
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Mechanical Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Electrical/Electronics Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Computer Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Chemical Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Petroleum (and Gas) Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Agricultural Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Marine Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Production / Industrial Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Systems Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Food Engineering | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Biomedical Engineering | Biology, Chemistry and Physics |
| Building / Building Technology | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Architecture | Mathematics, Physics and one of Chemistry, Geography, Art, Biology or Economics |
| Quantity Surveying | Mathematics, Physics and one of Chemistry, Geography, Art, Biology or Economics |
| Surveying and Geoinformatics | Mathematics, Physics and one of Chemistry, Geography, Art, Biology or Economics |
| Urban and Regional Planning | Mathematics, Geography and one of Economics, Physics or Chemistry |
| Estate Management | Mathematics, Economics and one other subject |
Sciences
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | Mathematics, Physics and one of Biology, Chemistry, Agricultural Science, Economics or Geography |
| Software Engineering | Same as Computer Science at most schools. A few list Mathematics, Economics and one of Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Geography, so check your school |
| Mathematics | Mathematics and any two of Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Biology and Agricultural Science |
| Statistics | Mathematics and any two of Physics, Chemistry and Economics |
| Physics | Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry or Biology |
| Chemistry | Chemistry and any two of Physics, Biology and Mathematics |
| Industrial Chemistry | Chemistry, Mathematics and one of Physics, Biology or Agricultural Science |
| Microbiology | Biology, Chemistry and Physics or Mathematics |
| Biological Sciences / Biology | Biology, Chemistry and Physics or Mathematics |
| Botany | Biology, Chemistry and any other Science subject |
| Zoology | Biology and any two of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics |
| Geology | Any three of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology and Geography |
| Geography (Science faculty) | Geography and any two of Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Agricultural Science |
Agriculture
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and Physics or Mathematics |
| Agricultural Economics and Extension | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and Mathematics or Physics |
| Agronomy / Crop Production / Soil Science | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and Mathematics or Physics |
| Animal Production / Animal Science | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and Mathematics or Physics |
| Forestry | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and Physics or Mathematics |
| Fisheries | Chemistry, Biology or Agricultural Science, and any other Science subject |
| Food Science and Technology | Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics, and Biology or Agricultural Science |
Social and management sciences
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Accounting / Accountancy | Mathematics, Economics and any other Social Science subject |
| Business Administration | Mathematics, Economics and any other Social Science subject |
| Banking and Finance | Mathematics, Economics and Government or Geography (Administration faculties). Some Social Science faculties accept Mathematics, one Social Science subject and any other subject |
| Marketing | Mathematics, Economics and one other subject |
| Insurance | Mathematics, Economics and one other subject |
| Business Management | Mathematics, Economics and one other subject |
| Cooperative Economics | Mathematics, Economics and one other subject |
| Industrial Relations | Mathematics, Economics and one other relevant subject |
| Public Administration | Government, Economics and any other subject |
| Human Resource Management | Economics, Government and any other relevant subject |
| Economics | Economics, Mathematics and one of Government, History, Geography, Literature in English, French or CRS/IRS |
| Political Science | Government or History, plus two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| International Relations | Mathematics and any two of Economics, History, Government, Geography, Literature in English and French. Some schools ask for Economics, Literature in English and one of Geography, Government or History |
| Mass Communication | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Sociology | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Psychology | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Library and Information Science | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Social Work | Mathematics, Economics or Geography, and any other subject |
| Demography and Social Statistics | Mathematics, Economics or Geography, and any other subject |
| Geography (Social Science or Arts faculty) | Geography and any two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Philosophy | Government and any two other subjects. Arts faculties accept any three subjects |
Law, arts and humanities
| Course | UTME subjects (plus Use of English) |
|---|---|
| Law | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects. Many universities require Literature in English as one of them, so check your school |
| Civil Law | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Islamic / Sharia Law | Any three Arts or Social Science subjects, including Arabic or Islamic Studies |
| Criminology and Security Studies | Varies by school. At the University of Jos (Law faculty) it is any three subjects. Check your school |
| English Language | Literature in English, one other Arts subject and another Arts or Social Science subject |
| Theatre Arts / Dramatic Arts | Literature in English and two other relevant subjects |
| History and International Studies | History or Government, and any two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Linguistics | Any one language and two other subjects |
| French | French and any two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Hausa | Hausa, Literature in English and one of Economics, Government, History or Arabic |
| Igbo | Igbo and two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Yoruba | Yoruba and two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Arabic / Arabic and Islamic Studies | Arabic and two Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Islamic Studies | Islamic Studies and two other Arts subjects |
| Christian Religious Studies | CRS, one other Arts subject and any other subject |
| Religious Studies | CRS or IRS and any two other subjects |
| Fine and Applied Arts | Fine Art and two other Arts or Social Science subjects |
| Music | Music, one other Arts subject and any other subject |
| Anthropology | Any three of History, CRS/IRS, Geography, Economics, Literature in English and French |
Want a second table to compare? JAMBSyllabus.com has a UTME subject combinations guide with notes on which universities vary.
Mistakes to avoid
- Choosing from a friend’s list. Two schools can ask for different subjects for the same course. Check your own course and school.
- Forgetting the O’level. The right UTME subjects will not help if you lack the O’level credits for the course.
- Counting on a later fix. Choose correctly at registration. If JAMB opens a correction window, it announces it on its official channels and the change is done at an accredited CBT centre. Do not pay anyone who promises to change your subjects for you.
- Using an old PDF. Copies of past brochures circulate on WhatsApp. Use IBASS.
Next steps
- Get the official syllabus for your four subjects: JAMB syllabus guide, or read each subject topic by topic on JAMBSyllabus.com.
- Practise past questions in the same subjects: free JAMB past questions.
- See the minimum scores schools accept: JAMB cut-off marks.
Related
JAMB change of course or institution
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