JAMB Subject Combination for Religion 2027/2028

Religion, commonly listed by universities as Religious Studies, is an Arts programme that focuses on the academic study of religion and related traditions.

Depending on the university, candidates may come across related programme titles such as:

• Religious Studies
• Christian Religious Studies
• Comparative Religious Studies
• Religion and Human Relations
• Religious and Cultural Studies
• Religions and Intercultural Studies
• Philosophy and Religious Studies
• Theology

Although these programmes are closely related, candidates should pay attention to the exact course title used by their preferred institution because admission requirements may differ.

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JAMB Subject Combination for Religion 2027/2028

The general JAMB subject combination for Religion or Religious Studies is:

Subject	Requirement
English Language	Compulsory
Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies	Required
Relevant Subject 1	Any other subject
Relevant Subject 2	Any other subject

The general combination can therefore be written as:

English Language, Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies, and any other two subjects.

However, some universities apply more specific subject requirements.

For example:

• AAUA: CRS/IRS and two other Arts or Social Science subjects
• AUGUSTINE: CRS/IRS and two other Arts subjects
• SAU: CRS, Government or History, and another Arts subject
• UYO: CRS and two other Arts or Social Science subjects
• DELSU: CRS and two other Arts or Social Science subjects
• BENIN: accepts any three subjects
• PHC: accepts three subjects from a broad approved list

Candidates should therefore confirm the exact UTME combination required by their preferred university before completing their 2027/2028 JAMB registration.

O’Level Requirements for Religion

Candidates applying for Religion or Religious Studies generally need five O’Level credit passes, including:

• English Language
• Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies
• Three other relevant subjects

A simple breakdown is shown below:

O’Level Subject	Requirement
English Language	Credit required
CRS/IRS	Credit required
Three Other Relevant Subjects	Credit required

The remaining subjects may come from Arts, Social Sciences or other relevant areas, depending on the university.

Adekunle Ajasin University

AAUA requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• English Language
• Mathematics
• CRS/IRS
• Two other subjects from Arts or Social Sciences

Augustine University

AUGUSTINE requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• English Language
• CRS/IRS
• Literature in English
• Other relevant Arts subjects

Niger Delta University

NDU requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• English Language
• Religious Studies
• Three other subjects

At least two of the remaining subjects must be Arts subjects.

University of Uyo

UYO requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• CRS
• English Language
• Three other subjects from Arts or Social Sciences

Ignatius Ajuru University of Education

IAUED requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• English Language
• Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies
• Mathematics
• Two other relevant subjects from Humanities or Social Sciences

University of Port Harcourt

PHC requires five SSC credit passes in English Language and four other subjects selected from areas such as:

• Literature in English
• History/Government
• CRK/IRK
• Economics
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Agricultural Science
• Physics
• Nigerian Languages
• Fine Art
• Geography
• Commerce

Candidates should therefore confirm the exact O’Level requirements of their preferred university before applying, especially where Mathematics, Literature in English or specific Arts subjects are required.

Direct Entry Requirements for Religion

Candidates applying for Religion or Religious Studies through Direct Entry generally need:

• Two A’Level subjects including Religious Studies, CRS or IRS, or
• Another relevant qualification accepted by the university

A simple breakdown is shown below:

Direct Entry Route	General Requirement
A’Level	Two subjects including Religious Studies/CRS/IRS
NCE	Accepted by some universities
ND/HND	Accepted by some universities
JUPEB/IJMB	Accepted by some universities
Diploma	Accepted by some institutions

The exact qualification and minimum grade required may vary by university.

Ambrose Alli University

AAU accepts:

• Two A’Level passes including CRS
• One other Arts subject

Adekunle Ajasin University

AAUA accepts:

• ND
• NCE
• Two A’Level passes from Arts or Social Science subjects

Abia State University and Delta State University

ABSU and DELSU accept qualifications such as:

• NCE in Religious or Social Studies
• ND in relevant areas
• HND in relevant areas
• Relevant A’Level subjects including Religious Studies

University of Benin

BENIN accepts different Direct Entry routes, including:

• Relevant A’Level passes in Arts or Social Sciences
• NCE Credit in CRS, Islamic Studies/Arabic Studies, Religious Studies or Social Studies
• ND Credit in an accepted programme

University of Calabar

CALABAR accepts NCE in Religious Studies.

University of Ibadan

IBADAN accepts NCE Merit in Religious Studies.

McPherson University

MCPHERSON accepts:

• NCE Credit/Merit
• Relevant JUPEB passes
• Relevant IJMB passes

Niger Delta University

NDU accepts:

• A minimum of two A’Level passes, with at least one relevant Arts subject
• NCE Merit in CRS or Islamic Studies

Obafemi Awolowo University

OAU accepts:

• Two A’Level passes including CRS/IRS
• NCE in Religious Studies, CRS or Islamic Studies

University of Uyo

UYO accepts:

• Two A’Level passes including CRS
• NCE Merit in qualifying subjects including CRS

University of Port Harcourt

PHC accepts:

• A’Level GCE passes in Arts subjects
• HSC
• JUPEB
• IJMB
• NCE in Arts subjects with the required merit level

Candidates should therefore confirm the exact Direct Entry qualification, subject combination and minimum grade required by their preferred university before applying.

Religion Admission Requirements at a Glance

The general admission requirements for Religion or Religious Studies are summarised below:

Admission Category	General Requirement
Programme	Religion / Religious Studies
JAMB English	Compulsory
Core UTME Subject	CRS or IRS
Other UTME Subjects	Any two other subjects
O’Level	Five credit passes
Core O’Level Subjects	English Language and CRS/IRS
Direct Entry	Two A’Level subjects including Religious Studies/CRS/IRS
Other DE Routes	NCE, ND, HND, JUPEB, IJMB or Diploma where accepted

Candidates should note that universities may apply additional requirements, especially concerning Mathematics, Arts subjects or the specific Religious Studies subject accepted.

Special Consideration and University-Specific Requirements

Adekunle Ajasin University

AAUA accepts CRS/IRS and two other Arts or Social Science subjects for UTME.

For O’Level, candidates need five credit passes including:

• English Language
• Mathematics
• CRS/IRS
• Two other Arts or Social Science subjects

For Direct Entry, AAUA accepts qualifications such as:

• ND
• NCE
• Two A’Level passes from Arts or Social Science subjects

University of Port Harcourt

PHC accepts a broad range of subjects for Religion or Religious Studies.

Its approved subject areas include:

• Literature in English
• History/Government
• CRK/IRK
• Economics
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Agricultural Science
• Physics
• Nigerian Languages
• Fine Art
• Geography
• Commerce

For O’Level, PHC requires English Language and four other approved subjects.

For UTME, candidates may choose three subjects from its approved list in addition to compulsory English Language.

For Direct Entry, PHC accepts relevant qualifications such as:

• A’Level
• HSC
• JUPEB
• IJMB
• NCE in Arts subjects

Niger Delta University

NDU requires five O’Level credit passes including:

• English Language
• Religious Studies
• Three other subjects

At least two of the additional subjects must be Arts subjects.

For Direct Entry, NDU accepts relevant A’Level qualifications and NCE Merit in CRS or Islamic Studies.

University of Uyo

UYO requires:

• CRS
• Two other Arts or Social Science subjects

for UTME, in addition to compulsory English Language.

At O’Level, candidates need five credit passes including:

• English Language
• CRS
• Three other Arts or Social Science subjects

For Direct Entry, UYO accepts two A’Level passes including CRS or qualifying NCE Merit.

Delta State University

DELSU requires:

Christian Religious Studies and two other Arts or Social Science subjects for UTME.

For Direct Entry, DELSU accepts:

• Two A’Level passes including CRS and another Arts subject
• NCE Merit where Religious Studies is one of the subjects
• Relevant diploma qualifications under its stated conditions

Obafemi Awolowo University

OAU requires CRS/IRS as part of the UTME combination.

For Direct Entry, OAU accepts:

• Two A’Level passes including CRS/IRS
• NCE in Religious Studies, CRS or Islamic Studies

Important Admission Note

The general JAMB subject combination for Religion can be written as:

English Language, CRS/IRS and any other two subjects.

However, candidates should not assume that every university accepts the same two additional subjects.

Some institutions restrict the remaining subjects to Arts or Social Sciences, while others accept broader combinations.

Candidates should therefore confirm the exact UTME subjects, O’Level requirements and Direct Entry qualifications required by their preferred university before completing their 2027/2028 JAMB registration.

Religion and Related Courses

Religion or Religious Studies is closely related to several programmes that focus on religion, belief systems, culture, philosophy and theology.

Related courses include:

• Christian Religious Studies
• Comparative Religious Studies
• Theology
• Philosophy and Religious Studies
• Religion and Human Relations
• Religious and Cultural Studies
• Religions and Intercultural Studies
• Religious Education
• Christian Theology

Although these programmes are related, universities may list them separately and attach different admission requirements to each one.

Read also:

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• JAMB Subject Combination for Mass Communication 2027/2028
• JAMB Subject Combination for Theatre and Film Studies 2027/2028

Core Focus Areas in Religion

Religion or Religious Studies generally examines religion as an academic field.

Broad areas associated with the programme may include:

• Religious Studies
• Comparative Religion
• African Religion
• Christian Studies
• Islamic Studies
• Religion and Society
• Religion and Culture
• Ethics
• Philosophy of Religion
• History of Religion
• Interreligious Studies

The exact courses and course titles depend on the university.

Some institutions may place greater emphasis on Christianity, Islam, African traditional religions, comparative religion, culture or theology depending on how the programme is structured.

How Religion Differs from Christian Religious Studies

Religion or Religious Studies and Christian Religious Studies are closely related, but they are not always the same programme.

Religious Studies generally takes a broader academic approach to religion and may cover different religious traditions, beliefs, cultures and comparative perspectives.

Christian Religious Studies focuses more specifically on Christianity and Christian religious traditions.

This distinction is important because universities may list both programmes separately.

Their admission requirements may also differ.

For example, a Religious Studies programme may accept either CRS or IRS, while a Christian Religious Studies programme may specifically require CRS.

Candidates should therefore use the admission requirements stated for the exact programme they intend to study rather than assuming that Religion and Christian Religious Studies have identical JAMB combinations.

Typical Career Paths

Religion or Religious Studies can prepare graduates for roles connected with education, research, culture, community development and religious studies.

Possible career directions include:

• Religious Studies Teacher: Teaches religion-related subjects in schools.
• Research Assistant: Supports academic or cultural research projects.
• Education Officer: Assists with educational programmes and administration.
• Cultural Programme Officer: Works on programmes involving religion, culture and community development.
• Community Development Officer: Supports community-based programmes and social initiatives.
• Documentation or Research Officer: Helps collect, organise and analyse information for institutions or organisations.
• Religious or Cultural Studies Academic: May pursue further study and academic work in Religious Studies or related fields.

Important Things to Know Before Choosing Religion in JAMB

Candidates interested in Religion or Religious Studies should pay close attention to the exact programme title and admission requirements used by their preferred university.

Important points include:

• English Language is compulsory in JAMB.
• The general UTME combination includes Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies.
• Candidates generally need two additional UTME subjects.
• Some universities restrict the remaining subjects to Arts or Social Sciences.
• The general O’Level requirement is five credit passes.
• English Language and CRS/IRS are part of the general O’Level requirement.
• Mathematics is not part of the general core requirement, but some universities specifically require it.
• Direct Entry candidates generally need two A’Level subjects including Religious Studies, CRS or IRS.
• Some universities also accept NCE, ND, HND, JUPEB, IJMB or Diploma qualifications.
• Religious Studies and Christian Religious Studies may be listed as separate programmes.
• Comparative Religious Studies, Theology, Religion and Human Relations, and Religious and Cultural Studies may also have different admission requirements.
• Candidates should not assume that every university accepts the same two supporting UTME subjects.

For this reason, candidates should confirm the exact UTME combination, O’Level requirements and Direct Entry conditions of their preferred university before completing their 2027/2028 JAMB registration.

FAQ About JAMB Subject Combination for Religion 2027/2028

Conclusion

Religion, commonly listed by universities as Religious Studies, is an Arts programme that focuses on the academic study of religion and related traditions.

The general JAMB subject combination for Religion is:

English Language, Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies, and any other two subjects.

Candidates generally also need five O’Level credit passes, including:

• English Language
• Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Religious Studies
• Three other relevant subjects

For Direct Entry, the general requirement is:

Two A’Level subjects including Religious Studies, CRS or IRS.

Depending on the university, other qualifications such as NCE, ND, HND, JUPEB, IJMB or relevant Diploma qualifications may also be accepted.

Candidates should note that university-specific requirements can differ.

Some institutions restrict the additional UTME subjects to Arts or Social Science subjects, while others accept broader combinations. Some universities also require Mathematics at O’Level even though it is not part of the general core requirement.

Candidates should therefore confirm the exact UTME subjects, O’Level requirements and Direct Entry conditions of their preferred university before completing their 2027/2028 JAMB registration.

It is also important to distinguish Religious Studies from related programmes such as Christian Religious Studies, Comparative Religious Studies, Theology and Religious Education because their admission requirements may not be exactly the same.