The UNN cut off mark for Theatre and Film Studies for 2026/2027 is 160 in the UTME, the minimum UNN set for screening in its notice of 13 July 2026, for candidates who chose the University of Nigeria, Nsukka first. UNN has not published a departmental merit or catchment cut-off for Theatre and Film Studies for 2026/2027 or 2025/2026. If you see a precise “official” figure for this course, it did not come from UNN.
2027/2028 update: UNN 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.
You will also come across 200, UNN’s minimum as reported from the JAMB 2026 policy meeting on 11 May 2026. UNN still accepted screening applications from 160. This guide explains the UTME combination UNN asks for (Literature in English is required), O’level and the science credit, the many Direct Entry routes, whether there is an audition, how screening worked, an aggregate example, admission odds and the score I would aim for.
UNN cut off mark for Theatre and Film Studies 2027/2028 at a glance
| Item | 2026/2027 position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum UTME to apply for UNN screening | 160 | Official (UNN, 13 July 2026) |
| UNN minimum declared at the JAMB policy meeting | 200 | Reported by Vanguard, 11 May 2026 |
| Departmental cut-off | Not published | No UNN list for 2025/2026 or 2026/2027 |
| UTME subjects | English, Literature in English, plus two Arts or Social Science subjects | UNN remark in JAMB brochure (reprint) |
| O’level | Five credits including English Language and Literature in English, with a science subject | UNN remark in JAMB brochure (reprint) |
| Audition | None announced by UNN | Not in the 2026/2027 notice or department page |
| Faculty and campus | Faculty of Arts, Nsukka | UNN |
UNN’s 160 is the general cut-off: it decides who may be screened. The departmental cut-off is the lowest score that actually made the Theatre and Film Studies list after ranking, and UNN does not publish it. The target score further down is my advice.
UNN Theatre and Film Studies cut-off history
These are the only cut-off figures that come from UNN or JAMB. None of them is specific to Theatre and Film Studies.
| Session | Figure | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/2027 | 160 | UTME score needed to apply for UNN screening (UNN as first choice) | Official, UNN Registrar notice of 13 July 2026 |
| 2026/2027 | 200 | Minimum UNN declared at the JAMB 2026 policy meeting | Reported by Vanguard and News Central, 11 May 2026 |
| 2026/2027 | 150 | JAMB national minimum for all universities | Official JAMB policy, May 2026 |
| 2025/2026 | 160 | UTME and screening threshold in UNN’s advert (shopping) notice | Official notice, seen through reprints |
| 2025/2026 | 150 | JAMB national minimum for universities | Official JAMB policy, July 2025 |
| 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 | Not published | Departmental cut-off for this course | UNN has released no departmental list |
I did not find a blog estimate for this course at UNN, and I have not made one up. Theatre and Film Studies did not appear among the courses in the reprinted part of UNN’s 2025/2026 advert list I could see, so I cannot tell you whether it had unfilled places that year.
UTME subject combination for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN
The JAMB brochure’s general rule asks for Literature in English and two other relevant subjects. UNN’s remark is a bit tighter on the UTME side, and it adds a science subject at O’level.
| Requirement | What you need for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN |
|---|---|
| UTME subjects (UNN remark) | Use of English, Literature in English, and two subjects from either Arts or Social Sciences |
| O’level (UNN remark) | Five credits including English Language and Literature in English, with a science subject among them |
| O’level (JAMB general rule) | Five credits including English Language and Arts subjects |
| Direct Entry (UNN remark) | ND or NCE in Theatre Arts or another relevant subject, or an A’level pass in Literature in English, plus the UTME requirements |
| Other diplomas UNN accepts for DE | The UNN remark also lists ND in fields such as Mass Communication, Fine and Applied Arts, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Music and Management |
| Minimum UTME to apply | 160, with UNN as first choice |
A good UTME combination is English, Literature in English, CRS and Government, or English, Literature, Music and CRS if you took Music. Literature is the one you cannot skip. I could not open JAMB’s official IBASS brochure from here, and the Theatre remarks come from a reprint, so check your combination on your JAMB profile before you register.
Look again at your WAEC subjects. If you wrote Biology, Agricultural Science or another science, make sure you have a credit in it. Arts students who dropped every science are the ones most likely to fail UNN’s O’level check for this course.
Is there an audition for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN?
Not that UNN has announced. The 2026/2027 screening notice covers all courses with the same online registration and document uploads, and it does not mention an audition, interview or portfolio for any department. The department’s own page talks about practical work during the degree, not at admission. Some universities audition theatre applicants; I would not assume UNN does, and I would not pay anyone who claims to arrange one.
UNN screening for 2027/2028: what Theatre and Film Studies candidates had to do
The Registrar’s notice of 13 July 2026 described an online screening registration only. It gave no test date, no exam format and no subjects for a written paper. So if someone is selling you “UNN post-UTME past questions for 2026/2027” as preparation for Theatre and Film Studies, ask them which official notice announced a test, because the one UNN published did not.
| Detail | 2026/2027 screening |
|---|---|
| Who could apply | Candidates who chose UNN as first choice in the 2026 UTME and scored 160 or more |
| Opened | Wednesday 15 July 2026 |
| Closed | Midnight, Wednesday 5 August 2026 |
| Fees | ₦2,000 application fee plus ₦3,300 processing fee (₦5,300 in total), paid through Remita |
| O’level upload | To JAMB CAPS and the UNN portal by 5 August 2026 |
| Awaiting results | Not eligible; results had to be out |
| Age | Candidates under 16 by 30 September 2026 were told not to apply |
| Names | Names on WAEC or NECO results must match the names on the JAMB record |
| Uploads | Birth certificate, LGA identification, testimonial, First School Leaving Certificate, JAMB result slip and O’level result(s), each under 100KB |
The portal route was unn.edu.ng, then UNN Portal at the top right (unnportal.unn.edu.ng), then Prospective Students and the 2026/2027 screening form. You entered your JAMB registration number, generated and paid the invoice, came back to fill personal and O’level details (including centre and exam numbers), uploaded your documents, reviewed, submitted and printed the acknowledgement slip. The notice warned that date of birth cannot be changed after submission.
The window is closed. If you did not register by 5 August 2026, UNN cannot consider you for 2026/2027, whatever your score.
How UNN ranks Theatre and Film Studies candidates (aggregate example)
UNN has not published its aggregate formula. Neither the 2026/2027 screening notice nor the 2025/2026 advert notice gives weights or grade points. The 2025/2026 advert notice did refer to a separate screening score with a 160 threshold, but it did not say how that score is worked out.
Several Nigerian education blogs describe the same method, and it is the one you will see most often: 60% of your UTME score plus 40% of an O’level score built from four relevant subjects, where A1 = 100, B2 = 90, B3 = 80, C4 = 70, C5 = 60 and C6 = 50. Treat the example below as an illustration of that blog method. It is not an official UNN formula.
| Step | Working |
|---|---|
| UTME score | 210 |
| O’level: English Language | B3 = 80 |
| O’level: Literature in English | B2 = 90 |
| O’level: CRS | C4 = 70 |
| O’level: Biology | C5 = 60 |
| O’level total (out of 400) | 300 |
| 60% of UTME | 210 × 0.6 = 126 |
| 40% of O’level | 300 × 0.4 = 120 |
| Aggregate (out of 400) | 126 + 120 = 246 |
That candidate ends at 246 out of 400 on the blog method. Literature in English is the subject to protect: it is both a UTME subject and a ranked O’level credit. Each step up in a grade adds 4 points to the aggregate, the same as about 7 UTME marks. UNN has not published which four O’level subjects it counts, so treat this as an illustration only.
Merit, catchment and ELDS for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN
UNN is a federal university, so it works under the federal admission guideline that is widely reported as 45% merit, 35% catchment and 20% educationally less developed states (ELDS). UNN has not published its own split for any course, so read that as the national policy rather than a UNN figure.
- Merit: the top scorers in the course, from any state, fill this list first. It is where the highest cut-off sits.
- Catchment: UNN has not published its catchment list. It is generally understood to be the South-East states; confirm on JAMB CAPS or with the UNN admissions office before you count on it.
- ELDS: this is a federal designation. UNN does not publish its own ELDS list, and I would not rely on any blog that names states “for UNN”.
- State of origin: the state on your JAMB profile is what counts, and UNN asks for an LGA identification letter as proof during screening.
Theatre and Film Studies is a smaller department than English or the Social Sciences courses. UNN’s department page put enrolment at about 220 students across all levels, which suggests a modest yearly intake. A South-East candidate who misses the merit list can still be considered on catchment.
What score should you aim for in Theatre and Film Studies at UNN?
My advice (not a UNN figure): aim for 200 or more in the UTME, which clears UNN’s declared benchmark too. With 210 or more and credits in English and Literature, I would feel reasonably confident. Below 200, have a backup ready, ideally another Arts course that also takes Literature.
| Your UTME score | My reading for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN (advice, not a UNN figure) |
|---|---|
| Below 160 | Not eligible for UNN screening |
| 160 to 199 | Eligible to apply, but below UNN’s declared 200 benchmark; plan a backup |
| 200 to 219 | Competitive |
| 220 and above | Strong position |
Step by step: from JAMB profile to resuming for Theatre and Film Studies at UNN
Warning
JAMB’s 2026 policy gives candidates four weeks to accept an admission offer on CAPS. An offer left unaccepted after that can be withdrawn and given to someone else, so check CAPS every few days once UNN starts releasing lists.
- Get or recover your JAMB profile code: text NIN, a space and your 11-digit NIN (for example, NIN 12345678901) to 55019 or 66019 from the phone number linked to your NIN. JAMB replies with your profile code, which you need for registration and other JAMB services.
- Make UNN your first choice: UNN screens only candidates who chose it first. If you are planning for 2027, pick UNN and Theatre and Film Studies at registration so you do not pay for a change of institution later.
- Upload your O’level to CAPS: your WAEC, NECO or NABTEB result has to show on your JAMB profile. For 2026/2027 UNN asked for the upload to CAPS and the UNN portal by 5 August 2026. A JAMB-accredited CBT centre can do the CAPS upload for you.
- Register for UNN screening: when the next notice comes out, fill the form on unnportal.unn.edu.ng, pay through Remita and print your acknowledgement slip.
- Check CAPS: log in at efacility.jamb.gov.ng, click Check Admission Status, then Access My CAPS and Admission Status. On a phone, switch your browser to desktop view first.
- Accept or reject: read the course name carefully, then click Accept. If you see a Transfer Approval, UNN is offering you a different course, and you must respond to that before anything else.
- Print your JAMB admission letter and pay acceptance: after CAPS, pay UNN’s acceptance fee on the UNN portal. Blogs report it as ₦25,000, but I found no official 2026/2027 figure, so confirm the amount on the portal before you pay.
- Clearance: follow your faculty’s clearance instructions with your original documents. Nobody can “secure” a place for you on CAPS for money.
UNN’s homepage already carries 2026/2027 notices for its primary admission list, its Direct Entry list and lists for candidates with disabilities and foreign candidates, and Myschool reported on 25 October 2026 that the list is checkable on CAPS. JAMB also told public universities to conclude 2026 admissions by 31 October 2026. Our JAMB CAPS guide explains every status message you may see.
Studying Theatre and Film Studies at UNN
UNN’s department page tells a long story. Dramatic Arts was one of the university’s pioneer disciplines in 1960 but sat inside English for years because of staffing problems; Drama became a stress area in the English B.A. from 1965. Senate made it a semi-independent sub-department in July 1983, and it became a full department in 2004. The department is also called the Robeson School of Dramatics, after Paul Robeson.
| Item | Detail from UNN’s department page |
|---|---|
| Entry routes | UTME (4 years) and Direct Entry (3 years) |
| Practical work | Compulsory, through departmental productions and a three-level Theatre Laboratory course |
| Industrial attachment | Optional, with field visits |
| Department size | About 220 students, 10 academic staff |
The page lists the department’s stress areas, and they give you a good picture of what you will study:
- Foundations, history of theatre and research methods
- Dramatic theory, dramatic literature and criticism
- Technical theatre
- Acting and directing
- Playwriting
- Theatre in education and children’s theatre
- Comparative drama and theatre
- Film studies
- Applied and interactive theatre
- Dance
Graduates work in film and television production (Nollywood is the obvious draw), broadcasting, scriptwriting, directing and stage management, arts administration, events, advertising and teaching. Applied theatre skills are used by NGOs for health and community campaigns.
Related UNN courses: UNN English and Literary Studies, UNN Music, UNN Fine and Applied Arts and UNN Mass Communication.
Common mistakes Theatre and Film Studies applicants make
- No Literature in the UTME: UNN’s remark names it.
- No science credit at O’level: the UNN remark includes one.
- Waiting for an audition date: UNN has announced none; register for screening on time instead.
- Choosing UNN as second choice: UNN screens first-choice candidates only.
- Not checking CAPS: accept within JAMB’s four-week window.
UNN cut off mark for Theatre and Film Studies: frequently asked questions
Is 200 enough for Theatre Arts in UNN?
It clears the 160 screening minimum and UNN’s declared 200 benchmark, and I would call it competitive for Theatre and Film Studies with credits in English and Literature. UNN has not published a departmental cut-off, so nothing is guaranteed.
Is Literature compulsory for Theatre and Film Studies in UNN?
Yes. UNN’s remark in the JAMB brochure requires Literature in English plus two Arts or Social Science subjects in the UTME, and a Literature credit at O’level.
Does UNN conduct an audition for Theatre and Film Studies?
UNN has not announced one. The 2026/2027 notice described the same online screening for every course, with no audition or interview.
Can I enter Theatre and Film Studies at UNN with an ND in Mass Communication?
Yes, through Direct Entry. The UNN remark lists ND in Mass Communication among the accepted diplomas, along with ND or NCE in Theatre Arts, plus the UTME requirements.
Sources and updates
The 160 minimum, screening dates, fees, eligibility rules and portal steps come from the UNN Registrar’s notice 2026/2027 Screening Exercise for Admission of 13 July 2026. The reported 200 comes from Vanguard’s 11 May 2026 report on the JAMB policy meeting (via AllAfrica), and the national 150 minimum, the 31 October admission deadline and the four-week CAPS acceptance window come from the News Agency of Nigeria. The 2025/2026 figure of 160 and the vacancy counts come from reprints of UNN’s October 2025 advert notice. The UTME, O’level and Direct Entry remarks for UNN come from Myschool’s reprint of the JAMB brochure for Theatre and Film Studies. The department history, stress areas, entry routes, durations, practical work and size come from UNN’s Theatre and Film Studies page on unn.edu.ng. The current official brochure on JAMB’s IBASS site could not be opened, so confirm on your JAMB profile before you register. The 45/35/20 quota is national policy, not a UNN figure. The aggregate method is a blog method, and the ₦25,000 acceptance fee is an unofficial report. Checked on 29 October 2026.
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.
