Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has rejected allegations of ethnic discrimination in its admission process after a parent accused the institution of applying different cut-off marks that allegedly disadvantage candidates from parts of the South-West.

The controversy followed a petition by Akin Okunowo, who questioned the fairness of the university’s admission criteria for the 2025/2026 academic session and called for a review of the system.

Okunowo alleged that candidates seeking admission into the same courses faced significantly different cut-off marks depending on their states of origin, raising concerns about merit, transparency and equal access to university education.

In his petition to the university’s governing council, he cited figures for Law and Accounting, claiming that some candidates from South-West states faced higher admission thresholds than applicants from other parts of the country.

For Law, he listed cut-off marks of 76.875 for Osun, 76.53 for Oyo and 75.78 for Ogun, compared with 57.05 for Kaduna and 53.43 for Kebbi.

He also cited differences in Accounting admission thresholds, arguing that the system could prevent qualified candidates from securing admission despite strong academic performance.

The petitioner said his son, who was born, raised and educated in Lagos, scored 63 per cent in Accounting but allegedly fell short of the applicable cut-off mark of 63.20 because of his family’s ancestral connection to Ogun State.

Okunowo questioned why candidates with lower scores were reportedly admitted into the same programmes, arguing that the differences required a clear explanation from the university.

He called for the abolition of what he described as a discriminatory cut-off system, warning that he could pursue legal action and a wider public campaign if the concerns were not addressed.

Responding to the allegations, the university’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, said OAU operated within the admission policies, regulatory requirements and guidelines established by the Federal Government and relevant statutory authorities.

The university dismissed suggestions that its admission process was driven by ethnic hostility, a hidden agenda against Yoruba students or an attempt to lower academic standards.

Olarewaju explained that admission decisions involved several considerations, including candidates’ academic performance, available spaces, programme-specific requirements and applicable admission criteria.

He added that the national admission framework incorporated broader objectives, including geographical representation, educational access and national integration.

According to the university, comparing individual candidates’ scores without examining their complete admission records, qualifications, admission categories and the relevant regulations could lead to misleading conclusions.

OAU maintained that it had no institutional interest in arbitrarily denying qualified candidates admission or discriminating against applicants on ethnic grounds.

The institution urged parents and candidates who believed their admission decisions were inconsistent with approved guidelines to submit formal complaints through its established channels.

Such complaints, it said, should identify the programme, admission session, candidate’s qualifications, applicable admission category and specific grounds for challenging the decision.

The university also advised those seeking changes to the broader Federal Government admission policy to approach the appropriate authorities, including the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

The allegations remain disputed, with the university insisting that its decisions must be assessed against the complete official records and applicable admission guidelines.