2025 Admissions: Minimum Cut-Off Set at 150, Under-16 Applicants Barred

The national admissions board, in collaboration with stakeholders in tertiary education, has approved the minimum acceptable Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scores for the 2025 admission cycle into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and nursing institutions.

At the recent annual policy meeting on admissions held in Abuja, a score of 150 was approved as the benchmark for admission into universities, while 100 was set for polytechnics and colleges of education. For colleges of nursing, the minimum acceptable score was fixed at 140. Institutions are permitted to raise their individual cut-off marks above these thresholds but must not admit students who score below them.

Compared to last year, the minimum cut-off for universities has increased from 140 to 150, while scores for other institutions remained unchanged. The final decision was based on a vote by heads of various institutions vice-chancellors voted for universities, rectors for polytechnics, and provosts for colleges of education.

The registrar of the admissions board and the education minister had both advocated for a higher minimum score of 160, but most institutional leaders resisted the increase. During the deliberations, proposals varied: one vice-chancellor suggested 140, another 130, and a few pushed for 160, though with little support. Eventually, the consensus settled on 150 for universities.

All institutions that previously proposed lower minimum scores are now required to update them to at least the newly agreed benchmarks. Each institution must also maintain its individually approved minimum score, in line with national policy.

In addition to academic benchmarks, the government reaffirmed its stance on 16 years as the minimum age for admission into any tertiary institution. Speaking at the meeting, the minister emphasized that the policy was now official and non-negotiable.

“Age has been a recurring issue in admission processes. We are now making it clear no candidate under the age of 16 will be legally admitted,” he stated. He explained that while the age limit had previously been set at 18, it was reviewed downward to accommodate certain cases, provided the institutions ensure compliance.

The minister stressed that this policy aims to balance cognitive readiness with academic development. He acknowledged that exceptions could be granted for exceptionally gifted or fast-tracked students, but such cases must be well-documented and justifiable.

Institutions were warned against falsifying or manipulating candidates’ age records. Any admission processed outside the official Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be deemed invalid.