JAMB Fixes 150 as Varsity Cut-Off, 100 for Polytechnics and Colleges
The Federal Government has officially pegged the minimum age for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions at 16 years, with a stern warning to institutions to strictly comply with the new directive or face sanctions.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made this known on Tuesday at the opening of the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Alausa stated: “The issue of age at entry has generated much debate, but our position is clear. The entry age for admission is now officially pegged at 16 years. This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. Sixteen years of age for admission is not negotiable, and institutions are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance.”
He further added that while provisions exist for gifted children and candidates on accelerated learning paths, such exceptions must be clearly documented and justified.
“We understand there may be a few exceptional cases; provision has already been made for legitimate exceptions, especially for gifted children and all those with accelerated educational pathways. However, it must be clearly demonstrated and documented. The ministry is firm in its resolve and those admitting to destroying its policy by altering age records will be sanctioned accordingly,” he warned.
The announcement marks a reversal of a previous policy under former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, who had in July 2024 pegged the admission age at 18 years. Alausa’s pronouncement reaffirms the government’s current stance amid previous legal tussles over JAMB’s powers to enforce a minimum age.
Meanwhile, the minimum UTME cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session has been set at 150, up from 140 last year. This decision was reached after a consensus by Vice-Chancellors during the same JAMB policy meeting.
In the same vein, rectors of polytechnics and provosts of colleges of education and agriculture agreed on 100 as the minimum score for admissions, while colleges of nursing adopted 140.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, confirmed the figures, noting that while these represent baseline requirements, institutions retain the liberty to set higher cut-off marks for specific programmes, depending on competitiveness and capacity.
“At every policy meeting, tertiary institutions propose their minimum acceptable scores. What we have adopted reflects the collective decision of the stakeholders,” Oloyede stated.
The meeting also witnessed the unveiling of the top scorers in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Okeke Chinedu Christian from Anambra State emerged top with 375 out of 400, choosing the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to study Mechanical Engineering.
He was closely followed by Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State, who scored 374 and opted for Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), also for Mechanical Engineering. The third on the list, Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka from Kwara State, scored 373 and also chose UNILAG for the same course.
In terms of institutional preference, UNILAG, Lagos State University (LASU), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) were the most sought-after universities by applicants in the 2025/2026 admission cycle.
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