The Federal Government has formally set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board held in Abuja.

Alausa, while declaring the meeting open, emphasised that the age benchmark is now official and non-negotiable. He warned that any admission carried out outside the Central Admissions Processing System would be considered illegal.

The minister further stated that heads of institutions found culpable of admission fraud or circumventing CAPS would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The annual policy meeting sets guidelines for the conduct of admissions into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the coming academic session.

Details later…