The Federal Government has officially set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. This landmark announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held in Abuja.
Declaring the meeting open, Alausa emphasized that this age benchmark is now "official and non-negotiable." He issued a stern warning: any admission conducted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be deemed illegal.
“The issue of age at entry into tertiary institutions has generated much debate, but our position is clear,” Alausa stated. “The entry age for admission into tertiary institutions is now officially pegged at 16 years. It was reduced from 18, which was to be effective from this year’s exercise to the need for this compliance.”
The Minister explained that this decision was guided by the crucial need to strike a balance between academic readiness and cognitive maturity. “This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. Admission is non-negotiable at the age of sixteen. Institutions are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance,” he added.
Alausa noted that while the policy would be strictly enforced, "exceptions could be made in rare and justifiable cases." He clarified: “We understand there may be a few exceptional cases, and provisions have already been made for legitimate exceptions, especially for gifted children or those with accelerated educational progress. However, this must be demonstrated and documented, and it must be justified.”
He also issued a strong caution against any attempts to manipulate age records to circumvent the new directive. In his words, “The ministry is firm in its resolve, and those attempting to circumvent this policy by altering age records will be sanctioned accordingly.” Alausa further warned that heads of institutions found culpable of admission fraud or circumventing CAPS would face prosecution by the law.
This new directive follows a previous policy in 2024, when the then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, directed JAMB and tertiary institutions to stop admitting candidates under the age of 18. That policy faced widespread criticism and was subsequently revised to allow admission from age 16, following pressure from various education stakeholders.
The annual JAMB policy meeting is crucial as it sets the guidelines for admissions into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education for the upcoming academic session.
The PUNCH
