The Federal Government has officially established 16 years as the minimum age requirement for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), held in Abuja.
“This age benchmark is now official and non-negotiable,” the minister said while declaring the meeting open. He added that “any admission carried out outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) will be considered illegal.”
Dr. Alausa also warned that institutional heads involved in admission fraud or found circumventing CAPS would face legal prosecution.
The annual policy meeting sets the official guidelines for admissions into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education for the upcoming academic session.
Details later…