Stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector have set a new minimum cut-off mark of 150 for admission into universities for the 2025/2026 academic session, while polytechnics and colleges of education agreed to a benchmark of 100.
Cut-off marks for colleges of nursing were also pegged at 140, while colleges of agriculture agreed to admit students with a minimum score of 100 marks in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
The decision was unanimously reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Policy Meeting, held in Abuja and chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
The stakeholders also agreed on admission deadlines of October 31, 2025, for public universities, November 30, 2025, for private universities, while December 31, 2025 is fixed as the deadline for polytechnics and colleges of education.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Education warned that candidates who fail to accept their admission offers within the designated timeline of four weeks will automatically forfeit the offer.
Alausa, who presided over the meeting, reaffirmed a strict 16-year minimum entry age policy into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
He further warned all tertiary institutions to adhere strictly to admission regulations as any admission outside the Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, is illegal.
“Any candidate who fails to accept their admission offer within the stipulated period will forfeit the offer,” the minister added.
The minuster reiterated that the Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, JAMB’s automated admission platform introduced in 2017, remains the only legal route for processing admissions in the country.
“Let me state emphatically: any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal. Such practices will be sanctioned, including withdrawal of admission quotas and prosecution of culpable officers,” he said.
He emphasized that admissions are initiated by institutions’ academic boards, but must be approved through JAMB’s regulatory oversight to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability.
On the controversial issue of minimum entry age, the Minister declared that 16 years is now the official and non-negotiable age for admission into any Nigerian tertiary institution.
“This policy strikes a balance between cognitive maturity and academic readiness,” Alausa stated, adding that exceptions will only be considered for verifiable gifted children with accelerated academic records and such must be properly documented.
He warned that any attempt to manipulate age records will be punished in accordance with federal regulations.
To tackle widespread examination malpractice, the Minister announced the establishment of a Central Examination Malpractice Unit at the Ministry of Education, chaired by the Permanent Secretary.
The unit will maintain a national database of malpractice cases and collaborate with JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and other exam bodies.
Alausa also disclosed that recommendations from a committee chaired by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, on improving examination quality, have been fully approved for implementation. This includes the adoption of Computer-Based Testing, CBT, by all major exam bodies to reduce malpractice.
Presenting data from JAMB, the Minister lamented that 121 universities across the country recorded fewer than 50 applicants each in the current admission cycle, while just 10 universities received over 40,000 applications each.
“Our problem is not access but capacity misalignment. Opening new institutions is not the solution. It dilutes quality,” he said.
He warned lawmakers against pressuring for new tertiary institutions in every constituency, noting that many of them are underutilized and contribute little to expanding access.
To address capacity gaps in critical areas, the Federal Government has released a N10 billion intervention fund for 18 medical and technical training institutions. Each university will receive N4 billion, while an additional N70 million per school is allocated for hostel development.
The funds will cover simulation laboratories, classroom rehabilitation, and other infrastructure to enhance teaching in pharmacy, dentistry, engineering, digital technology, and other priority sectors.
