•Nigerian universities
The quest for autonomy by Nigerian public tertiary institutions yesterday received another body blow as the federal government – the primary financier and principal of those schools – reviewed and fixed a blanket admission criteria that pegged the entry age at 16 years.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), a federal government agency, also raised the minimum cut-off marks for university admissions from 120 to 150 for the 2025/2026 academic session, reports The Guardian.
While admission into Colleges of Nursing was pegged at 140, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education were left at 100.
The decision, reached during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions in Abuja, reflected a collective effort by stakeholders to prioritise transparency, fairness, and academic excellence in the nation’s tertiary education system.
By setting a higher benchmark, JAMB is pushing tertiary institutions to raise the bar and maintain high standards in their academic programmes.
However, stakeholders were quick to ask about the place of tertiary autonomy in the policy review, at a time of heightened demand for tertiary institutions to be independent in terms of the admission process.
More so, it has earlier been agreed that the tertiary institutions should determine their admission process and that cut-off marks should be fixed by each school’s Senate, and not JAMB.
Attempts by Vice Chancellors to retain the 140 cut-off mark adopted in 2024 proved abortive, as the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa and JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, insisted that the bar must be raised to reflect the process and changes in the country’s education system.
The decision came as the government officially pegged entry admission age into the country’s tertiary institutions at 16, putting to rest the controversy over an 18-year admission age for prospective admission seekers.
Also at the event, the examination body announced the Lagos State University (LASU), University of Lagos (UNILAG) and University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) as the top three most selected first-choice institutions by candidates for the 2025/2026 academic session.
In 2014, the federal government, in consultation with JAMB and other stakeholders, pegged the cut-off marks for admissions into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education at 180 and 150, respectively.
At the 2017 meeting, led by the then Education Minister, Prof. Adamu Adamu, the cut-off marks were reduced to 120 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and COEs.
The examination body, however, clarified that the cut-off mark does not in any way suggest that once a student scores 150, then admission is certain, as institutions will admit from the highest to the lowest mark.
Stakeholders bemoan falling standards
Meanwhile, stakeholders have expressed divergent views on the cut-off marks for tertiary institutions.
While some justified the minimum cut-off score, others argued that it was an indication of the fallen education standard.
For the Rector, Abia College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Okezie Aloy, the development is an indication that the Nigerian education system has nosedived.
Aloy lamented that at a time when the country should be raising the bar in its education sector, it is talking about bringing down the cut-off marks.
“If you go by the cut-off mark for universities, 150 means you scored less than 50 marks for each of the four subjects, which is less than 50 per cent, while 100 for polytechnics means 25 marks in each subject, which is not a pass mark.
“It is sad that we have left what should be looked into to discuss about number. We regret to say that the Nigerian education system is falling. You go to university, it’s an embarrassment. You come to Polytechnic; you are challenged. The people you admit with this number, what would they do? Many don’t know how to write their names.
“They make A’s in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), but it’s not their results. The thing is that the standard of education is falling, and it’s a very serious concern. And all we are doing here today is to consider how to further lower the standard,” Aloy lamented.
Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor, Amadens University, Abia State, Prof. Samuel Nzotta, attributed the adoption of 150 cut-off mark for universities to the abysmal performance of candidates in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Nzotta noted that most of the vice chancellors are aware of the poor performance of candidates, and if the cut-off mark is raised higher than what it is, most students will be shut out from accessing university education.
For the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Babcock University, Prof. Philemon Amanze, the cut-off mark is in order, as it will expand access to tertiary education.
“We have seen the array of schools that are here. Some have already chosen their own cut-off marks. For example, my university has been 170 over the years, we can’t go below that, no matter what is decided here. Every university knows what is good for it; for me, the decision is in order. It is just an entry requirement,” Amanze stated.
On his part, Dr Ode Isaac, Deputy Rector, Nigerian Army College of Environmental Sciences, Markudi, Benue State, said the cut-off mark is fair.
“We lowered that of polytechnics so that we can get students because it is a real problem for the schools. We don’t have students. We’re competing for students everywhere.”
While announcing 16 as the entry age for prospective undergraduates, the federal government also warned that any admission conducted outside of the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) would be illegal and perpetrators would be prosecuted.
“This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable,” the minister said.
Alausa, however, noted that provisions existed for clearly documented and justified exceptions like gifted children with accelerated educational progress.
He warned institutions against attempting to circumvent the rule by altering age records, stressing that such acts would attract sanctions.
The minister also unveiled new measures to curb the scourge of examination malpractices, which he described as a ‘cancer’ undermining merit and eroding confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
Alausa announced the establishment of a Central Examination Malpractice Unit within the Federal Ministry of Education, noting that this would be chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abel Enitan.
He added that this unit would serve as a national clearinghouse for documenting and reporting malpractice cases across all levels of education.
“This central database will be accessible to all institutions. It is our hope that this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act,” the minister said.
Alausa, therefore, warned universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country against illegal admission.
He said: “Any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal. Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable.
“Sanctions may include withdrawal of institutional assets and prosecution of culpable officers or governing council members.”
Introduced in 2017, CAPS automates the admission process to eliminate human interference and administrative bottlenecks.
He explained that while the responsibility for initiating admissions rests with the academic boards of each institution, the examination body is mandated to oversee and regulate the process to ensure fairness and equity.
Announcing the top 10 institutions, the JAMB boss listed other sought-after universities to include: Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (4th), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (5th), University of Ibadan (6th), University of Nigeria Nsukka (7th), University of Benin (8th), Obafemi Awolowo University (9th) and Federal University, Lafia (10th).
Meanwhile, JAMB has said it suspects foul play in the results of one Chinedu Okeke, the best candidate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said this yesterday at the 2025 policy meeting of the Board in Abuja.
Oloyede announced that Okeke, an indigene of Anambra, emerged the best candidate with 375 score in the examinations.
The JAMB boss, however, stated that the Board made some discoveries regarding Okeke, who applied for Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos.
According to him, data from JAMB revealed that Okeke was admitted to study Medicine a year ago at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN. He said JAMB wrote to UNN for clarification about the candidate, and the school revealed that Okeke is a student of the institution, and he is doing fine.
Speaking on the development, JAMB Public Communications Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin said the Board is suspecting foul play.
“The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has an advantage over the other candidates in the examinations.
“In his records, he claimed he is from the South-East, while the other record reads that he is from Lagos State. We are suspecting that he is a mercenary in the examination,” Benjamin said.
The Board also announced that John Ayuba from Gombe State came second in the examinations, scoring 374, while Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara State came third with 373.
Other top scorers are Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu, Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara and Leslie Afinotan, from Delta, all scoring 373.
Also, in the list of top scorers are Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta, Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun and Cecil Omigie from Edo, all scoring 372 in the examinations.
This is as data released by JAMB during its 2025 policy meeting yesterday revealed that Computer-Based Test Centres in Imo and Anambra states topped the list of CBT Centres nabbed for fingerprinting malpractices.
In total, about 19 centres were nabbed nationwide, with Anambra having six, Imo with four, Abia with one, Edo with one, Kano with two centres, Ebonyi, Delta, Kaduna, Rivers and Enugu with one centre each.
Oloyede, during his presentation, also noted that impersonators also made use of albinos for the purpose of image bending and remote uploads, among others.
