JAMB Revises Age Policy for 2024/2025 Admissions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), the exam body responsible for university admissions in Nigeria, has released a new directive regarding the age of candidates eligible for the 2024/2025 academic session. This directive was communicated to vice-chancellors, provosts, and rectors of tertiary institutions across the nation.

Previously, a policy set during JAMB’s annual policy meeting established that candidates for university admissions should not be younger than 16 years during the 2024/2025 academic year. However, in an official letter dated October 16, 2024, signed by Muhammed Babaji on behalf of the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB has revised this policy.

The letter permits institutions to admit candidates aged 15, on the condition that these individuals will turn 16 by the 31st of August 2025. “Recall that the issue of the minimum age for admission in the nation’s tertiary institutions was deliberated and decided at the 2024 Policy Meeting to be 16 years old for the 2024/25 academic session,” the letter read.

JAMB recognized that some educational institutions may extend their admissions process through July 2025 due to various reasons. Hence, adjustments to the age requirement were made to accommodate these timelines without compromising educational standards or infringing on individual institutions’ admission policies.

The letter further indicated, “Without compromising the standard or infringing on the individual institution’s admission policy, the board has now decided to allow any willing institution to admit candidates who will be 16 years old by the 31st of August 2025.” However, it reaffirmed that institutions may adhere to their initial decisions if they choose to maintain the minimum age as 16 years within the year 2024.

Institutions are requested to submit lists of candidates, who fall within the new age criteria and meet all other admission requirements, to JAMB within a week from the letter’s issuance. This ensures equitable treatment for those whose admission process extends till August 2025, ensuring they are not unduly disadvantaged due to age.

This directive is part of JAMB’s efforts to align the admissions process with various institutional calendars while still upholding educational standards across the country.