The federal government has pegged the minimum age for admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions at 16.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday at the 2025 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
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The annual meeting is held to decide on procedures of admission for the academic year.
During last year’s meeting the former education minister, Tahir Mamman, set the minimum age for admissions at 18, raising concerns.
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Following his removal, Mr Alausa, who succeeded him, reversed the policy and pegged it at 16 for last year’s admissions exercise.
With this new announcement, the minister has now formalised 16 as the official minimum age for admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
He warned institutions against breaching the rule, asking them to ensure strict compliance.
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Mr Alausa said the age reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness.
“We understand there may be a few exceptional cases, and provisions have already been made for legitimate exceptions, especially for gifted children or those with accelerated educational progress,” he said.
“However, this must be demonstrated and documented, and it must be justified.”
