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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, said on Thursday that universities and other tertiary institutions in the country can now admit candidates who will turn 16 by August 31, 2025.
The board announced that the affected candidates can be admitted for the 2024/2025 academic session if they meet the institution’s standards.
The Eastern Updates recalls that the minimum age for admission in tertiary institutions was earlier this year deliberated at the 2024 Policy Meeting and decided to be 16 years old for the 2024/25 academic session.
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The cut-off date was subsequently put on December 31, 2024.
The development triggered reactions from parents and other concerned citizens, who expressed divergent views on the matter.
However, JAMB, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Public Relations Officer, Fabian Benjamin, said because some institutions extended admission periods until July 2025, it will allow institutions to admit candidates who will turn 16 by August 31, 2025.
“This effort is to ensure equity because those whose 2024 admission would last till August 2025 would not be unduly favoured. Any institution that insists on its 16 years being within the year 2024 is completely free to do so,” the statement added.
In other news, the registration fee for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has been lowered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from ₦5,000 to ₦3,500 for candidates with visual impairments and other disabilities.
The organisation said this was done to ensure equitable access to tertiary education for the PWDs.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, had made this disclosure during a press conference on Monday ahead of JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) first Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED) on Tuesday, and Wednesday in Abuja.
Oloyede said the Board will also provide free accommodation and transportation for the visually impaired and other candidates with disabilities who require special examination settings during the examination process.
