*JAMB Sets 150 As Cut-Off Mark For Universities

THE Federal Government has officially fixed 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

    As a result, candidates/students below the age of 16 will no longer be given admission into the country’s tertiary institutions.

This just as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), during this year’s Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, fixed 150 as the cut-off mark for admission into universities in the country.

    The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who announced the new admission age at the meeting, stressed that the decision was aimed at aligning students’ cognitive development with the academic demands of higher education.

He said “this policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. Sixteen years is non-negotiable,” acknowledging, however, that exceptions could be made for gifted students who have advanced academically ahead of their age group.

But such cases, he noted, must be clearly documented and justified.

He cautioned tertiary institutions against manipulating students’ age records to bypass the age limit, warning that institutions found altering age records would be sanctioned.

Alausa, while reinforcing the seriousness of the new directive, said although no specific penalties had been spelt out, enforcement would be strict.

The minister also unveiled new measures to curb examination malpractice, which he described as a “cancer” in Nigeria’s education system, stating: “This central database will be accessible to all institutions.

“It is our hope that this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act.”

To address the issue systematically, the Federal Government announced the establishment of a Central Examination Malpractice Unit within the Federal Ministry of Education.

The unit, to be chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, will document and track malpractice cases nationwide and share data with institutions.

Alausa further reiterated that government would support the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) to adopt computer-based testing (CBT) across the board to further reduce examination fraud and bring the conduct of national examinations in line with global best practices.

Recall that early last year, the ministry, under Prof. Tahir Mamman, introduced an 18year minimum age requirement for university admission, as well as NECO and WAEC examination eligibility, with provisions blocking under 18 candidates from taking those exams starting that year

The announcement attracted widespread protest from parents, educators, school heads and even the National Assembly, who argued that it would unfairly exclude academically qualified candidates below 16.

Following mounting pressure, Mamman soft-pedalled by allowing under18 candidates for the 2024 admissions, but maintained that the age floor would apply strictly in 2025

That policy was reversed by Alausa, who was formerly minister of State for Health, immediate he took over as minister during his inaugural press briefing in November the same year.

    Meanwhile, Alausa has warned that any admission conducted outside of the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) would be illegal and perpetrators would be prosecuted.

   While declaring the ongoing JAMB Policy Meeting open, the minister warned that heads of institutions found to be engaged in admission fraud would face prosecution.

   In a post on its X handle on Tuesday, July 8, JAMB said: “The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (heads of tertiary institutions).”

The Board had last Wednesday stated on its X handle: “The 2025 Policy Meeting holds on 8th July, 2025, at Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

“The policy meeting is the gathering of stakeholders where policy guidelines and other relevant regulations on admission are discussed and ratified for the next academic year.

“Please note that attendance is strictly by invitation, however, you can follow us on our social media handles for live coverage.”

The meeting, which is a gathering of notable players in the education sector, including heads of tertiary institutions, also decides the minimum UTME scores, also known as cut-off marks, for admission into higher institutions.

It is also used as an opportunity to work with vice chancellors, rectors, provosts on admission guidelines and timelines, including deadlines for registration and application.

The top scorers in this year’s UTME would be announced during the meeting.