2025 Policy Meeting Sets New Admission Benchmarks for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

The 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria has officially approved new minimum cut-off marks and age requirements for the 2025/2026 academic session. These decisions are aimed at streamlining admission standards across various tiers of higher education in the country.

According to the new policy, the minimum acceptable Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score for admission into universities is now 150. For candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Nursing, the benchmark is 140. Meanwhile, Polytechnics, Monotechnics, Colleges of Education, Colleges of Agriculture, and Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.

In addition to academic performance, the meeting also emphasized age requirements. The new policy mandates that all candidates seeking entry into tertiary institutions must be at least sixteen (16) years old by the time of admission for the 2025/2026 academic year. This age requirement is intended to ensure that students are mentally and emotionally prepared for the demands of higher education.

These decisions reflect ongoing efforts by education stakeholders to maintain quality standards while also accommodating the realities of student performance trends and institutional capacities. The unified benchmarks will also guide institutions in their individual admission processes while giving candidates a clearer understanding of their standing.

The 2025 Policy Meeting reinforces the commitment of Nigeria’s educational authorities to ensure a transparent, merit-based and age-appropriate admission process nationwide.