FG reverses 18-year age limit for university admission 

The Federal Government has reversed the 18-year age limit for admission into tertiary institutions, now allowing 16-year-olds to qualify for university entry.

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The Federal Government has reversed the 18-year age limit for admission into tertiary institutions, now allowing 16-year-olds to qualify for university entry, according to BusinessDay.

Morufu Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, announced this during his inaugural press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.

Tahir Mamman, former Minister of Education, in July, had directed during the 2024 JAMB policy meeting that only candidates above 18 years of age should be admitted into tertiary institutions.

The decision faced great opposition from stakeholders, including vice chancellors and rectors. Under pressure, Mamman reversed his stance during the meeting, allowing students aged 16 and above to be admitted for the 2024/2025 session. However, he confirmed that from subsequent years onwards, the minimum age for admission will return to 18.

The new policy by Alausa, however, effectively lowers the age benchmark for tertiary education admission, overturning the previous decision made by the former Minister of Education.

Alausa said, “We will not be going forward with the 18-years admission benchmark. We will go for 16 years and we are going to meet with JAMB and others on that. There will also be exceptions for the gifted students. Eighteen-years is not part of our policy again.’’