UPDATED: JAMB Announces Cut-off Marks, Sets New Minimum Age Requirement— Things To Know

UPDATED: JAMB Announces Cut-off Marks, Sets New Minimum Age Requirement— Things To Know

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), along with key stakeholders in tertiary education, has approved the national minimum Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scores—commonly referred to as cut-off marks—for the 2025 admissions into universities and other institutions.

The Federal Government also reaffirmed that candidates must be at least 16 years old to gain admission into any tertiary institution in Nigeria.

At the annual policy meeting on admissions, held on Tuesday in Abuja, 150 was adopted as the minimum cut-off mark for universities, 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing nationwide.

This means no institution is allowed to admit candidates who score below the approved thresholds, although they are free to set higher cut-off marks for their programs.

In comparison, last year’s cut-off was 140 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.

The final decision was made through a vote by institutional heads—vice-chancellors for universities, rectors for polytechnics, and provosts for colleges of education.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had advocated for raising the university cut-off to at least 160. However, the majority of institutional heads resisted the proposal.

Prof. Oloyede stressed that any institution that had earlier proposed scores below the new minimum must adjust accordingly. “Each institution must adhere to the newly approved minimum,” he stated.

Dr. Alausa, while opening the meeting, declared the 16-year age requirement for tertiary admissions as official and non-negotiable. He warned that any admission done outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be deemed illegal.

He added that the age policy is meant to ensure a balance between academic preparedness and mental maturity. While it will be firmly enforced, rare exceptions might be considered if justified.

“The issue of age at entry into tertiary institutions has generated much debate, but our position is clear.

“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, so the need for this compliance.

“Sixteen years of age for admission is non-negotiable. Institutions are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance,” he added.

“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,” Alausa concluded.

He also cautioned against falsifying age records to bypass the rule.