The Federal Government has formally set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions – Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed this on Tuesday during the opening session of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2025 Policy Meeting in Abuja.
”This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable,” he said.
He warned that the heads of institutions found to be engaged in admission fraud would face prosecution.
He stressed that the age requirement is mandatory and non-negotiable, adding that heads of institutions found complicit in admission fraud will face strict legal consequences.
Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the tertiary education stakeholders have approved the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Score (NTMUS), popularly called the cut-off point for 2025 admission into the nation’s universities.
At the 2025 annual policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions held in Abuja on Tuesday, July 8, the meeting settled for 150 as the benchmark for admission into universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.
The meeting also adopted 140 for Colleges of Nursing across the country.
The arrangement means that no tertiary institutions should admit students who score below the approved benchmark scores, however, institutions are at liberty to fix higher cut-off marks for their applicants.
Last year, 140 was adopted for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.
The decision was adopted after the heads of the institutions voted. The Vice-Chancellors voted for the benchmarks for universities, Rectors for the polytechnics and Provosts for the colleges of education.
The JAMB Registrar and the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, wanted the institutions to increase the minimum tolerable score to at least 160. However, most of the heads of institutions were quite adamant about increasing the minimum tolerable scores.
During the conversation, the Vice-Chancellor of the Michael Lawrence University Abuja, Ernest Izevbigie, a professor, proposed 140 and that of Lighthouse University proposed 130.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ayodeji Agboola, a professor, proposed 160. He received very little support.
The vice-chancellors voted overwhelmingly for 150 to be adopted.
According to Premium Times report, the JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, said that all institutions that had proposed lower minimum scores must increase their benchmarks to at least the agreed minimum points.
“Every institution should maintain its own approved minimum,” he said.
