By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
THE NATIONAL benchmark for admission into Nigerian universities has been fixed at 150, following a resolution reached by stakeholders at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) annual policy meeting held in Abuja.
The cut-off marks for other institutions include 140 for colleges of nursing and 100 for both polytechnics and colleges of education.
Consensus emerged during the meeting hosted at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, where leaders of tertiary institutions across the country gathered to set unified criteria for the 2025/2026 admission cycle.
JAMB confirmed the outcome on its official X handle, stating that the minimum admissible scores were jointly agreed by the heads of institutions.
The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cycle had previously raised concerns after technical disruptions affected some candidates.
JAMB responded by organising a rescheduled UTME to ensure all eligible applicants were given equal opportunity to sit the test.
Alongside the new academic thresholds, the Federal Government has now mandated that all candidates for tertiary admissions must be at least 16 years old.
This age requirement, introduced by Minister of Education Tunji Alausa during the same policy meeting, is to be enforced through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which will automatically screen out candidates who fall below the age limit.
Provisions will, however, accommodate applicants who attain the age of 16 on or before 31 August 2025.
The policy aims to align Nigeria’s education admission framework with international standards and to ensure candidates are emotionally and mentally prepared for the rigours of higher education.
Authorities reiterated that the age regulation is not meant to bar early achievers, but to foster maturity and stability in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Officials described the reforms as part of broader efforts to enhance transparency, fairness, and merit-based access in the admission process.
