Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, along with university leaders and the Federal Government, has set the official minimum cut-off marks for 2025 tertiary education admissions in Nigeria. Under the new guidelines, the benchmark score is 150 for universities, 140 for colleges of nursing, and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education. While individual institutions are allowed to set higher cut-off marks if they choose, they are strictly forbidden from admitting students who score below these agreed limits. Additionally, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, reconfirmed that the official minimum age for admission is now 16 years old, down from the previously proposed 18. This age requirement is non-negotiable and aimed at ensuring students have the right mix of academic readiness and maturity. While strict compliance is expected and all admissions must be processed legally through the Central Admissions Processing System, rare exceptions will be made for gifted or accelerated students who have properly documented proof. Authorities also issued a strong warning to institutions and applicants against manipulating age records to bypass this rule.