The 2025 policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions has announced new cut-off marks for admissions into tertiary institutions across Nigeria for the 2025/2026 academic session.
At the meeting hosted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), stakeholders agreed that the cut-off mark for universities will be 150, up from 140 last year. For polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, agriculture colleges, and innovation enterprise institutions (IEIs), the cut-off was set at 100, while colleges of nursing will have a cut-off mark of 140.
These decisions were proposed by vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts present at the meeting and approved by the minister of education, Tunji Alausa. He reiterated that candidates seeking admission into universities must score at least 150 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and 100 for those applying into polytechnics and colleges of education.
“No institution must admit candidates who score below the approved cut-off marks,” Mr Alausa warned.
He emphasised that all admissions must strictly comply with guidelines set by regulatory bodies, including the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and relevant professional bodies, especially regarding quotas, ratios, and other specifications to ensure quality, accountability, and equity.
The meeting also resolved that admissions into all public universities and polytechnics must end by October 2025, while private universities and polytechnics have until November 2025 to complete theirs.
Admissions entry age
Speaking earlier, the Minister announced that the official entry age into tertiary institutions has been officially pegged at 16 years.
“The issue of entry age has generated much debate, but our position is clear. The entry age for admission has been reduced from 18 years to 16 years, effective from this year’s exercise,” he said.
According to Alausa, this age benchmark aims to ensure a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness.
“Sixteen years of age at admission is not negotiable, and institutions are directed to ensure strict compliance. While there may be a few legitimate exceptions, such cases must be clearly demonstrated and justified,” he added.
The JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, a professor, reiterated that all admissions must be conducted through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
Details later….