JAMB Introduces New Policies for Nigerian Tertiary Education Admission Process

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently announced new policies affecting the admission process for Nigerian tertiary education institutions. During the 2024 Policy meeting in Abuja, stakeholders including the Nigeria Minister of Education Tahir Mamman and JAMB Registrar Professor Oloyede deliberated on key changes. These changes include setting a minimum age requirement of 18 years for admission into universities and adjusting the minimum cut-off marks to 140 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.

The Nigeria Minister of Education Tahir Mamman highlighted the alignment of the new age requirement with the country’s 6-3-3-4 education system and the existing laws governing tertiary admissions. Additionally, JAMB will now mandate the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for examination registration while introducing enhanced verification processes for Direct Entry (DE) candidates prior to admission.

Furthermore, JAMB emphasized the prohibition of institutions from reducing the minimum JAMB scores for admissions, affirming the universities’ autonomy to set acceptable scores above the threshold. Additionally, a maximum cap was set for post-UTME screening fees to streamline the admission process and ensure transparency.

Professor Oloyede emphasized the prevention of additional expenses for admission screenings and the integration of biometric data from JAMB into tertiary admissions systems. He also reiterated the importance of adhering to the guidelines to maintain the integrity of the admissions process and prevent malpractice.

The new policies introduced by JAMB aim to standardize the admission process, protect candidate privacy, and enhance the overall efficiency of admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions.