Everything you need to know about ELDS in Nigeria 2026 – Educationally Less Developed States admission into federal universities.
Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS) admission in Nigeria is one of the features of the Federal Character principle under the 1999 Constitution, and it is designed to promote regional balance and inclusiveness in education.
If you are from any of these states, this can actually improve your chances of gaining admission.
All You Need to Know about ELDS Admission in Nigeria
ELDS means Educationally Less Developed States.
These are states with lower levels of educational development compared to others in the country.
To balance this, candidates from these states are given certain advantages during the admission process.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and all federal universities in Nigeria usually allocate 20% of the total admission quota to candidates from ELDS.
This means that candidates from these states are given lower cut-off marks and flexible admission requirements.
ELDS in Nigeria 2026/2027
Here is the list of ELDS states in Nigeria:
| 1. | Adamawa |
| 2. | Bauchi |
| 3. | Bayelsa |
| 4. | Benue |
| 5. | Borno |
| 6. | Cross River |
| 7. | Ebonyi |
| 8. | Gombe |
| 9. | Jigawa |
| 10. | Kaduna |
| 11. | Kano |
| 12. | Kebbi |
| 13. | Kogi |
| 14. | Katsina |
| 15. | Kwara |
| 16. | Nasarawa |
| 17. | Niger |
| 18. | Plateau |
| 19. | Rivers |
| 20. | Sokoto |
| 21. | Taraba |
| 22. | Yobe |
| 23. | Zamfara |
Other States not listed here are not considered ELDS states.
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