JAMB Retains 16 Years as Minimum Admission Age for 2026/2027 Academic Session
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed that 16 years will remain the minimum admission age for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was announced during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting, which brought together heads of tertiary institutions and other stakeholders to finalise admission guidelines for the new academic cycle.
Under the requirement, candidates must have reached the age of 16 by September 30, 2026, to qualify under the admission rules for the cycle.
The minimum age requirement has remained a major subject of discussion among parents, school administrators and education stakeholders because some students complete secondary education before reaching 16.
Supporters of the existing requirement have argued around age and readiness for tertiary education, while critics have continued to point to differences in the ages at which Nigerian children begin and complete primary and secondary education.
JAMB has nevertheless retained the 16-year threshold for the 2026/2027 admission cycle.
During the policy meeting, institutions also approved minimum tolerable scores for the 2026/2027 UTME. These scores represent the lowest marks institutions can consider when processing candidates, although individual institutions and programmes can impose their own admission requirements.
JAMB also announced changes affecting certain College of Education programmes and agriculture non-engineering courses, with some candidates no longer required to sit the UTME under the new arrangement.
The latest admission guidelines mean candidates need to pay attention not only to their UTME results but also to age requirements, programme-specific conditions and the admission policies of their preferred institutions.
For candidates hoping to gain admission in 2026/2027, meeting the minimum age requirement remains one of the basic conditions to be considered for the admission process.
