Vice-Chancellors of universities have adopted 150 as the minimum cut-off score for the 2025/2026 academic admission.
Rectors of Polytechnics and Provosts of Colleges of Education and Agriculture also picked 100 as the minimum admissible score, while Colleges of Nursing adopted 140.
This was the outcome of the 2025 Policy Meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
The 150 score by heads of universities is 10 points higher than the 140 adopted in 2024.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ish-aq Oloyede, made the announcement on Monday, noting that the figures reflect a consensus reached by relevant stakeholders in the education sector.
At the same event, Professor Oloyede also revealed that Lagos State University (LASU), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) emerged as the most preferred institutions among candidates in the 2025/2026 admission cycle.
In a related development, JAMB also unveiled the top scorers in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Okeke Chinedu Christian from Anambra State recorded the highest score with 375 out of 400 and selected UNILAG to study Mechanical Engineering. He was followed by Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State who scored 374 and chose Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), also for Mechanical Engineering. The third top scorer, Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka from Kwara State, scored 373 and also selected UNILAG for the same course.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has officially set the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the opening session of the JAMB Policy Meeting on Tuesday.
“The issue of age at entry has generated much debate, but our position is clear. The entry age for admission is now officially pegged at 16 years,” Alausa said. He added that while provisions exist for exceptional cases—such as gifted students or those with accelerated educational paths—any deviation must be clearly documented.
Alausa emphasized that the policy is non-negotiable and warned institutions against manipulating age records to bypass regulations. He said appropriate sanctions would be applied to institutions found in violation.
The 2025 Policy Meeting served as a platform for reviewing admission guidelines and strengthening the coordination between regulatory bodies and tertiary institutions nationwide.
