The Federal Government has officially pegged the minimum age for admission into all tertiary institutions in Nigeria at 16 years.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Tuesday at the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held in Abuja.
Declaring the meeting open, Dr. Alausa stressed that the new age requirement is now formal, binding, and non-negotiable, adding that all institutions must adhere strictly to this policy.
He further warned that any admission conducted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be deemed illegal. Heads of institutions found engaging in admission fraud or bypassing CAPS would face prosecution in line with existing laws, he said.
The annual JAMB policy meeting is held to establish unified guidelines for admissions into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country for the upcoming academic session.