FG Set 16 Years As Minimum Admission Age For Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria

The Federal Government has set 16 years as the minimum age for students seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

The Education Minister Tunji Alausa made the announcement on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The new rule will be enforced through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), with provisions made for applicants who will turn 16 by August 31, 2025.

Despite this policy, JAMB raised concerns that some institutions have been admitting students below the required age by bypassing CAPS and collecting large tuition fees from them.

“The Board implemented the 16-year admissible age on its CAPS platform and even bent backwards to accommodate candidates who would be 16 as of 31st August 2025.

“However, some institutions admitted candidates who were not up to the admissible age of 16 outside CAPS and even collected huge sums of money from them as tuition fees,” JAMB stated.

JAMB stressed that these admissions are invalid and warned that such actions have led to legal battles involving the affected institutions.

This move comes after last year’s controversy when former Education Minister, Tahir Mamman attempted to raise the minimum age to 18, a proposal that drew heavy criticism from many education stakeholders.

KanyiDaily recalls that Tunji Alausa also announced that colleges of education will start offering both bachelor’s degrees and the National Certificate in Education (NCE) beginning September 2025.