ABSU Cut-Off Mark for Optometry 2027/2028: Requirements, Subject Combination and Screening

The ABSU cut off mark for Optometry is 150 in the UTME. Abia State University, Uturu used 150 as the one minimum for all regular degree courses in its 2026/2027 screening and published no separate Optometry score. You were eligible if ABSU was your first or second choice, or if you changed your institution to ABSU.

2027/2028 update: ABSU cut-off marks usually stay the same from one year to the next, so the figures on this page are what 2027/2028 candidates should plan with. They come from the latest official notice (2026/2027). If the 2027/2028 notice changes anything, we will update this page.

Optometry is one of ABSU’s oldest and best-known courses. It leads to the six-year Doctor of Optometry (OD), and NUC lists it as fully accredited, so competition is stiff and admitted scores run well above 150. This page covers the official figures, my safe target score, the exact JAMB subjects, ABSU’s own Direct Entry remark, screening, a worked example, the CAPS steps and what the programme involves.

ABSU cut off mark for Optometry: the official figures

Optometry cut-off history at ABSU

Blogs that quote an exact “ABSU Optometry cut-off” do not link to any ABSU document, and ABSU does not publish the lowest score it admitted per course. Use them as rough guesses at most.

Safe target score for Optometry at ABSU (my advice)

ABSU has not published anything like this. The bands are my judgement from how demand for professional health courses usually plays out at state universities in the South East. Optometry here has a long reputation and a professional licence at the end, which keeps demand high.

For the 2027 UTME I would aim for 210 or more and sit with all five science credits secured, ideally in one sitting. If you fall short, register for screening anyway and decide in advance which related course you would accept, such as Physiology or Anatomy.

ABSU belongs to Abia State but admits from every state. The 2026/2027 notice gave no catchment rule, so plan on your score and grades.

ABSU Optometry subject combination and O’level requirements

JAMB’s brochure entry for Optometry, reprinted by Myschool, lists Physics, Chemistry and Biology for the UTME, plus Use of English. There is no ABSU remark on the UTME or O’level lines.

O’level rules for Optometry at ABSU

Physics weighs more in Optometry than in most health courses because the programme teaches optics in depth. A bare C6 in Physics will not stop you on paper, but it hints at the subject you will find hardest in the early years.

Direct Entry into ABSU Optometry

The general Direct Entry rule asks for A level passes in Physics, Chemistry and Biology or Zoology. The entry then has a remark for ABSU itself: it says ABSU awards the Doctor of Optometry and “accepts B.Sc in relevant programme, HND/ND of Opthalmonic and Dispensing” (spelling as printed).

So ABSU, by the brochure, considers graduates of related degrees and holders of an ND or HND in ophthalmic dispensing for Direct Entry. The remark does not say what level you join at or what grade you need. If you are a dispensing optician or a science graduate, ask ABSU’s admissions office about entry level and grades before you buy the DE form.

How ABSU screening works for Optometry

ABSU’s 2026/2027 screening notice was signed by the Registrar, Dr Acho Elendu, and reprinted by Myschool on 8 June 2026 and Osilight on 9 June 2026. I could not open the original on ABSU’s website, but the two reprints agree. Expect a similar process for 2027/2028 and follow the new notice when it comes out.

The bank names came out garbled in the reprint, so use the payment options the ABSU portal shows you. Because the notice describes uploads and no test, my working assumption is that ABSU ranks applicants on UTME score and O’level grades. Keep checking the portal after you register in case a later notice adds a step.

Worked example for two Optometry candidates

ABSU has not published an aggregate formula. The example compares scores with the official minimum and my target only, so it is illustrative.

Somto scored 226 with B3 in English, B2 in Mathematics, B3 in Physics, A1 in Chemistry and B2 in Biology, all in one WAEC sitting.

1. Eligibility: 226 minus 150 = 76. She clears ABSU’s floor.
2. Against my target: 226 minus 210 = 16 above the score I call competitive.
3. O’level check: all five required credits in one sitting, with a good Physics grade.
4. Advice: register for screening the week it opens and accept on CAPS at once.

Ikenna scored 194 with all five credits over two sittings. He is eligible (194 minus 150 = 44) but 16 marks under my target, and his credits come from two sittings. He should register and, if ABSU offers a related course through a Transfer Approval on CAPS, I would accept it rather than lose a year.

How to apply for Optometry at ABSU, step by step

1. Get your JAMB profile code: send NIN, a space and your 11-digit NIN to 55019 or 66019 from the phone line linked to your NIN.
2. Register the UTME with ABSU first or second: pick Optometry and sit Use of English with Physics, Chemistry and Biology. If ABSU is not among your choices, do a JAMB change of institution before screening.
3. Upload your O’level to CAPS: do this at a JAMB-accredited CBT centre. Awaiting result candidates must upload as soon as results are out, because CAPS cannot treat you as fully qualified without them.
4. Register for ABSU screening: on www.abiastateuniversity.edu.ng once ABSU announces it, then upload your documents on portal.abiastateuniversity.edu.ng.
5. Pay the screening fee: ₦2,000 in 2026/2027, by e-payment. Print the receipt and keep it for clearance.
6. Accept on CAPS: log in at efacility.jamb.gov.ng, open Check Admission Status, then Access my CAPS. JAMB gave candidates four weeks to accept in 2026.
7. Pay acceptance and clear: ABSU’s acceptance fee and school fees were not in any source I reached. Pay only the amount on the invoice the ABSU portal generates.

JAMB set 31 October 2026 as the 2026/2027 admission deadline for public universities, ABSU included; that date has now passed, so anyone who applied this year should check CAPS for their final status. Our JAMB CAPS guide explains each status you might see there.

Studying Optometry at ABSU

ABSU teaches Optometry in its own College of Optometry; the Nigerian Optometric Association refers to it as the School of Optometry. The association says Optometry was one of the university’s foundation courses when it started in 1981, that it follows a six-year Doctor of Optometry model, and that its first graduates qualified as Nigeria-trained Doctors of Optometry by 1987. ABSU also runs postgraduate programmes in Optometry.

What you study

ABSU’s current course outline was not online in any source I reached. A Nigerian OD programme usually includes:

• Basic sciences: physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics in the first year, then anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.
• Optics: geometric, physical and visual optics, and how lenses correct sight.
• Ocular anatomy and physiology: the structure of the eye and how vision works.
• Clinical optometry: eye examination, refraction, contact lenses, low vision and binocular vision.
• Ocular disease and pharmacology: recognising and managing eye disease and the drugs used.
• Clinics and project: supervised patient care in the later years and a research project.

Duration, accreditation and licensing

The programme takes six years. NUC’s accreditation results, 1990 to 2025 show ABSU Optometry moving from Interim twice to Full four times in a row, with the current full status valid to 2027. A March 2023 release from the then Vice-Chancellor, published by the Federal Ministry of Information, also listed Optometry among seven ABSU programmes graded Full.

To practise as an optometrist in Nigeria you register with the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN). I did not find a public ODORBN list showing ABSU’s current status, so ask the department about it at clearance.

Careers

• Clinical optometry in hospitals, eye clinics and private practice
• Owning or managing an optical practice
• Public eye health programmes, including school and community screening
• Industry roles with lens, frame and eye care companies
• Teaching and research after postgraduate study

Related ABSU courses

• ABSU cut-off mark for Medicine and Surgery
• ABSU cut-off mark for Nursing Science
• ABSU cut-off mark for Physiology
• ABSU cut-off mark for Anatomy

For UTME revision, use our JAMB Biology syllabus and JAMB Chemistry syllabus for 2027.

Mistakes that cost Optometry applicants an ABSU place

• Writing Mathematics instead of Physics in the UTME: the combination is Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
• Aiming only for 150: it lets you screen, and Optometry admits far above it.
• Ignoring the six-year length: budget for six years of fees and living costs.
• Not registering for screening: ABSU says it will not consider you.
• Letting a CAPS offer lapse: accept within the time JAMB gives.

Need to change course or school? See JAMB change of course. Planning another attempt? Read when JAMB 2027 registration starts.

ABSU cut off mark for Optometry: frequently asked questions

Is 200 enough for Optometry in ABSU? 200 clears the 150 minimum, so you can screen. It is under the 210 I would call competitive, so strong one-sitting credits matter.

How many years is Optometry in ABSU? Six years, leading to the Doctor of Optometry (OD), according to the Nigerian Optometric Association and JAMB’s brochure remark for ABSU.

Can an HND holder in dispensing get Direct Entry into ABSU Optometry? JAMB’s brochure says ABSU accepts an ND or HND in ophthalmic dispensing and a B.Sc in a relevant programme. Ask ABSU what level you would join before paying for the form.

Is ABSU Optometry accredited? Yes. NUC’s results publication lists ABSU Optometry as fully accredited, valid to 2027.

Sources and updates

The 150 minimum, the first or second choice rule, the ₦2,000 fee, the portals, the uploads and the warning about unregistered candidates come from ABSU’s 2026/2027 screening notice signed by the Registrar, Dr Acho Elendu, as reprinted by Osilight (9 June 2026) and Myschool (8 June 2026); I could not open the original. The national minimum of 150, the 31 October 2026 deadline for public universities and the four-week acceptance window come from the News Agency of Nigeria (11 May 2026). The course appears on Myschool’s reprint of JAMB’s ABSU course list. UTME, O’level and Direct Entry rules, including ABSU’s own DE remark, are from JAMB’s brochure entry for Optometry as reprinted by Myschool. The accreditation status comes from NUC’s accreditation results, 1990 to 2025 publication and the Federal Ministry of Information (16 March 2023). The history, six-year OD model and first graduates come from the Nigerian Optometric Association page on ABSU, which is undated. ODORBN’s status for ABSU was not found. Course content and careers describe Nigerian OD programmes in general. ABSU has not published a departmental cut-off, an aggregate formula, a screening closing date or fees in any source I reached, and the target scores are my advice. Checked on 29 October 2026; this page will be updated when ABSU releases its 2027/2028 screening notice.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.