The Federal Government has approved new national guidelines to simplify admission requirements into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, with the aim of widening access to higher education and reducing the number of qualified but disenfranchised youths.
Under the policy, promulgated by the Federal Ministry of Education and spearheaded by the Honourable Minister, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the threshold for entry into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies (IEAs) has been relaxed.
The revised criteria are intended to remove outdated barriers while preserving academic rigor.
The new guidelines stipulate the following:
- Universities: a minimum of five (5) credit passes in relevant subjects (including English Language) obtained in not more than two sittings; Mathematics will be mandatory for science, technology, and social science courses.
- Polytechnics (ND level): a minimum of four (4) credit passes in relevant subjects (English is required for non-science courses; Mathematics for science-related courses).
- Polytechnics (HND level): a minimum of five (5) credit passes, including English and Mathematics.
- Colleges of Education (NCE level): a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, with English Language mandatory for Arts and Social Sciences, and Mathematics required for Science, Vocational, and Technical courses.
- Colleges of Education (Ed level): a minimum of five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics, as applicable to the course of study.
- Innovation Enterprise Academies (IEAs) are to adopt the same requirements as polytechnics for the National Diploma (ND) programme.
According to the statement, the National Innovation Diploma (NID) has been abolished and the National Industrial Diploma (NID) previously issued by IEAs will also be phased out and replaced with the National Diploma (ND) to “ensure uniformity, credibility, and better progression opportunities for graduates.”
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) is re-accrediting all IEAs nationwide to align with the new standards.
“Institutions that fail to transition to full accreditation will be de-accredited,” the press statement warned.
The statement noted that over two million candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) each year, yet only about 700,000 gain admission, a discrepancy the government attributes not to ability, but to “outdated and overly stringent entry requirements that must give way to fairness and opportunity.”
The Ministry remarked, “The reform is a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education, creating opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 students each year. It reflects our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian youth has a fair chance to learn, grow, and succeed — putting the Renewed Hope Agenda into action.”
A key element of the reform is harmonisation across different types of institutions. For example, the National Innovation Diploma (NID) awarded by IEAs is to be phased out; diploma programmes in IEAs must now conform to the same standard as polytechnic National Diploma (ND) programmes.
This reform comes on the heels of earlier policy directives under the 2025 tertiary admissions agenda.
Earlier, the government mandated that all admissions must pass through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), warning against off-system admissions, and reinforced a minimum age requirement of 16 for admission, with institutional heads personally liable for breaches.
In addition, deadlines were set: public universities must finalise admissions by 31 October 2025, while private universities have until 30 November, and polytechnics and colleges of education until 31 December.
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