The Federal Government has officially pegged 16 years as the minimum age for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Tuesday, during the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held in Abuja.
Alausa, while declaring the meeting open, emphasised that the age benchmark is now official and non-negotiable. He warned that any admission carried out outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be considered illegal.
The minister further stated that heads of institutions found culpable of admission fraud or circumventing CAPS would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The annual policy meeting sets guidelines for the conduct of admissions into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the coming academic session.
Recall that the former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman had directed JAMB and tertiary institutions to stop admitting under-18-year-old candidates into higher education programmes.
However, by July 2024, Mamman made a U-Turn on his earlier directive, during the review of the memorandum for the 2024 policy meeting on the year’s admissions, Mamman later called for the adoption of 16 years.
This decision came after objections and appeals from stakeholders, including rectors, registrars, vice chancellor and other principal officers, present at the 2024 admission policy meeting organised by JAMB, in Abuja on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, the current Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on July 8, 2025, now pegged the official minimum age of admission at 16.
