The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have faulted the recent decision by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Federal Government to fix the admission cut-off mark at the Universities at 150.
According to ASUU, the benchmarks are illegal. JAMB cannot dictate entry age requirements and cut-off marks for tertiary institutions.
The Federal Government’s reaffirmation of 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions has received strong backing from key education stakeholders, including the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and others.
However, while they welcomed the policy to restore academic order, they also raised alarm over persistent systemic policy violations.
However, the announcement of a 150 minimum cut-off mark for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education has sparked widespread criticism, with many warning it could further erode standards in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP, ASUU president, Professor Chris Piwuna, expressed strong disapproval, calling the gathering “an illegal meeting” and warning that it undermines the authority of university senates.
“I am shocked that some Vice Chancellors, who are chairmen of their respective university senates, would attend such a meeting and, by doing so, subject their institutions to the authority of JAMB.
“This act differs from the principle of university autonomy and the core issues we are renegotiating with the federal government,” he said.
“Our Union has not taken an official position on the issue of minimum age for university entry. But let it be clear, it is not JAMB’s role to determine that. Each university senate is empowered by law to decide on admissions and other academic matters,” he added.
Also, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has opposed the new admission cut-off marks approved by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), describing them as a threat to the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Reacting in an interview, the president of the Union, Comrade Shammah S. Kpanja said, “Honestly speaking, fixing the JAMB examination cut-off points to 150 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education is counterproductive.
“As you know, JAMB’s total score is 400. By this standard, a candidate only needs 37.5% to gain admission into a university and just 25% to enter a polytechnic or college of education. Undoubtedly, this will contribute greatly to lowering academic standards,” he said.
Reacting to the development, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, National President of COEASU, lauded the federal government’s stance on the 16-year age policy but raised deeper concerns about systemic violations that have made the rule ineffective over time.
“This is not a new policy. The issue is that it has been consistently violated due to noncompliance by institutions. But we’ve failed to address the root cause: when should children begin formal schooling?”
He pointed out that many private schools have eliminated primary six, allowing children to enter secondary school as early as Primary 3 or 4. This, he noted, results in underage students completing secondary education and seeking university admission well before the age of 16.
“The government just added a policy today, and the minister announced that the admission age is 16 years old. Yes, that is not a new statement. It is not something new. That has always been like that,” he said.
However, while COEASU agrees with the federal government on enforcing the age limit, the union strongly opposes the recently approved cut-off marks.
For its part, the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) acknowledged the potential benefits of improved access and called for a balance between inclusivity and academic standards.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, NANS’ National Public Relations Officer, Samson Ajasa Adeyemi, noted that while the 16-year age limit makes sense, the real challenge is implementation.
Their comments follow the 2025 JAMB policy meeting held in Abuja, where the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in collaboration with education stakeholders, approved the minimum benchmarks for the new admission cycle.
At the meeting, stakeholders agreed that the minimum cut-off for admission into Nigerian universities will be 150.
For polytechnics and colleges of education, the baseline is 100, while colleges of nursing sciences will admit students with a minimum score of 140.
The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, included vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and heads of regulatory agencies.
The cut-off marks serve as national benchmarks, although individual institutions retain the autonomy to set higher thresholds based on the competitiveness of their programmes.
At the event, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, clarified that while these are minimum standards, no institution can admit candidates below the agreed benchmarks.
He added that the policy ensures fairness, access, and quality across higher education.
“This policy reflects the reality of our education system and the need to align admission processes with merit, equity, and capacity,” he stated.
The meeting also reaffirmed that institutional autonomy in admissions remains intact, but must be exercised within the framework of national standards. Institutions are expected to conclude admissions per the approved calendar and report their activities to JAMB for central processing.
LEADERSHIP reports that the general cut-off for universities in the previous academic year stood at 140, while polytechnics and colleges of education maintained a baseline of 100. However, some universities opted for higher benchmarks, ranging between 150 and 160, depending on their capacity and course demand.
In another key announcement at the policy meeting, the federal government reaffirmed that the minimum age for admission into Nigerian universities remains 16 years.
Minister of Education, Alausa, stated that the age requirement is non-negotiable, emphasising the need to align academic readiness with cognitive maturity.
“This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. Sixteen years is non-negotiable,” he said.
However, he noted that exceptions exist for gifted children with documented accelerated academic progress. The minister warned institutions against falsifying age records to admit underage candidates, stressing that such acts would attract sanctions.
The minister also unveiled a series of new initiatives to tackle examination malpractice, which he described as a “cancer” threatening the integrity of the education system.
A Central Examination Malpractice Unit will be established within the Federal Ministry of Education, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan. The unit will serve as a national clearinghouse for tracking, documenting, and reporting malpractice cases across all levels of education.
“This central database will be accessible to all institutions. We hope this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act,” the minister said.
He also announced government support for WAEC and NECO to adopt computer-based testing systems to curb malpractice further.
Meanwhile, JAMB also announced that each candidate’s ranking position will now be included on their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result slip.
The new feature applies to all 1,905,539 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME.
According to Prof. Oloyede, the ranking will provide greater context to raw scores and help curb the practice of celebrating high scorers without considering their relative performance.
“By indicating a candidate’s national ranking, universities and other higher institutions can now assess not just the score, but the standing of each applicant among their peers,” he explained.
The Board believes this move will improve transparency, assist institutions in making better-informed admission decisions, and discourage the presentation of fake or inflated scores.
He said that in the 2025 UTME, for example, a score of 370 places a candidate at 16th position, a score of 320 is ranked 5,806, and a score of 250 ranks 107,819.A score of 200 places a candidate at 533,805, a score of 180 ranks at 948,026, and scores of 140, 120, and 100 fall at ranks 1,855,607, 1,900,872, and 1,903,661, respectively.
“This will help institutions determine the quality of candidates being admitted and discourage the tendency to parade fake scores as being among the best,” Oloyede said.
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