The University of Benin. offers International Studies and Diplomacy under its Faculty of Arts & Humanities, and this page sets out the O’Level credits, the JAMB UTME combination, Direct Entry and the JAMB score required for screening.
Government and History are treated as a single subject throughout. Either one satisfies the O’Level requirement, the UTME combination and the Direct Entry condition, so you never need to hold both.
Geography behaves differently. It is a named O’Level credit for this department, yet it is not named anywhere in the UTME combination, where the choice opens out to Arts and Social Science subjects generally.
About the University of Benin
The University of Benin is a federal government-owned university funded and managed by the federal government of Nigeria. The university was founded in 1970. University of Benin (UNIBEN) is a research university located in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
The university is one of the oldest in Nigeria and has a large student and staff population, resulting in a student-staff ratio of about 10:1.
The University has a diverse student population with students from different parts of the country and age brackets. The University of Benin courses cut across various levels in agriculture, science, etc.
University of Benin admission is extremely competitive as many candidates apply for admission into the university annually. University of Benin’s school fees are also very affordable, and it provides its students with facilities and infrastructure. They have good hostels, roads, electricity, etc.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited faculties and departments in the university.
O’Level Subject Combination
The O’level subject combination and requirements needed to study International Studies and Diplomacy;
You require;
Five (5) SSCE credit passes to include English Language, Geography, Government/History.
Three subjects are named and the remaining two are left open. Geography is the one candidates most often overlook, since it is easy to assume a diplomacy course would ask only for History or Government.
JAMB Subject Combination
In UTME, please note that the English Language is Compulsory for this course.
Therefore, the three (3) other JAMB UTME subject combinations needed to study International Studies and Diplomacy under the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at UNIBEN include;
History/Government and any other two (2) subjects from Arts and Social Sciences
The two accompanying subjects are not specified beyond their field, which gives you a wide choice. Writing Geography as one of them keeps your UTME aligned with the O’Level credit you already need.
Direct Entry Requirement
These are the conditions you need to fulfil to gain Direct Entry admission to study International Studies and Diplomacy if you don’t intend to use UTME.
You require;
Two (2) ‘A’ level passes/NCE (upper credit) in History/ Government and other related subjects.
JAMB Score
All candidates interested in getting admitted into UNIBEN for the 2026/2027 session should know that to be eligible for the screening, you must have scored 200 or above in your JAMB result.
Geography Is a Named Credit but Not a Named UTME Subject at UNIBEN International Studies and Diplomacy
The gap between the two lists is the detail to plan around. Geography must be held at credit level, yet the UTME names only History or Government alongside two subjects of your own choosing.
Everything else is flexible. Two of the five O’Level credits are unspecified, and two of the four UTME subjects need only come from the Arts or Social Sciences.
Direct Entry accepts two A Level passes or an NCE at upper credit in History or Government and related subjects. UTME candidates need 200 or above in JAMB before UNIBEN will screen them.