The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has authorised tertiary institutions in Nigeria to admit candidates who will turn 16 years old by August 31, 2025.
This decision was made following deliberations at the 2024 Policy Meeting, where the issue of minimum age requirements for admission into the country’s tertiary institutions was discussed. JAMB’s new guideline provides flexibility for institutions conducting admissions for the 2024/25 academic session, as it allows candidates who meet the admission requirements and will be 16 by the stated date to be considered for enrolment.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the Director of Admissions at JAMB, Muhammad Babaji, outlined the changes and reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to maintaining high admission standards while ensuring fairness for all candidates.
Babaji explained that the policy aims to accommodate institutions whose admission process for the 2024/25 session might extend into mid-2025. “The Board acknowledges that some institutions expect the 2024/2025 admission process to extend into July 2025,” he stated.
As a result, JAMB has given institutions the green light to admit candidates who will clock 16 by August 31, 2025. This change, according to Babaji, is intended to ensure that no qualified candidate is denied admission purely because they have not yet reached the minimum age of 16 by the time the admission process begins.
Despite this adjustment, Babaji was quick to clarify that the Board is not compromising on the quality of candidates admitted into Nigeria’s higher institutions. He emphasized that institutions are still free to maintain their own admission policies, including setting a minimum age of 16 for prospective students, if they choose to do so.
“This is without prejudice to any institution that has set its own minimum age requirement of 16 years, which remains unchanged,” Babaji said. He added that the Board’s decision is meant to create flexibility without lowering academic standards or interfering with the admission policies of individual institutions.
JAMB’s announcement also reaffirmed the autonomy of tertiary institutions when it comes to setting their admission requirements. While the new policy gives institutions the option to admit younger candidates, it does not force them to do so.
For institutions that prefer to maintain a strict minimum age requirement, Babaji made it clear that they are under no obligation to adopt the new guideline. “Any institution that insists on maintaining a minimum age of 16 years as of 2024 is free to do so,” he reiterated.
In addition to adjusting the minimum age policy, JAMB has asked institutions to submit data on candidates who will turn 16 between January 1 and August 31, 2025, and are eligible for admission. This information is to be collected from their Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and submitted to JAMB within one week of the announcement.
This move, according to Babaji, is aimed at ensuring fairness and equity in the admission process. He noted that the effort will prevent situations where candidates whose 2024 admissions extend into August 2025 are unduly favored, or where deserving candidates are overlooked simply because of their age at the time of admission.
Nigeria’s tertiary education system, which includes universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, has long faced challenges related to access, quality, and equity. The age requirement for admission has been one such barrier for younger candidates who might be academically qualified but do not meet the minimum age.
Over the years, JAMB has worked to simplify the admissions process, introducing policies such as the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which was designed to automate and streamline admissions across the country. CAPS ensures transparency in the admission process and allows institutions to admit candidates based on merit.
