Minimum Admission Age for 2022/2023 JAMB: Age Limit for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges

Let’s talk about the minimum age to enter universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria. I've got a series of questions about an individual university's admission age limit (if any) or if JAMB has ever set a particular age a candidate should apply for admission.

Parents, guardians, and students want to know about age requirements for a University, Polytechnic, or College of Education admission.

Below are my findings from JAMB and a few individual schools.

The minimum age set for admission into universities or any other higher institutions of learning in Nigeria is sixteen (16) years. This is not an assumption rather a compulsory requirement for any candidate seeking admission into a university, polytechnic, college of education, or initiative enterprise institutions (IEI).

Accordingly, JAMB has made it clear and open, in her general requirements for admission that, “A candidate must have attained the age of sixteen (16) years, or would have done so on the first day of October in the year of his/her candidature”

JAMB warning on the minimum age for admission

Yes, you read that right. You must be 16 by Ending of 30th September or 1st October of the admission year or else, you’ll be deprived of the admission.

Is Age Limitation Only Required for JAMB?

No. Some institutions make the same pronouncements in their adverts often that, candidates below the age of 16 should not partake in their post-UTMEs or admission exercises.

For example, the University of Ibadan (UI) has made it opened in her admission policy that you must be at least 16 before the university will admit you.

Candidates must have reached the age of sixteen years on the first day of October in the year of their admission.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) answered the same question.

The minimum age is sixteen (16) years by 31st October of the admission year. 

In this post are just a few references. The age limit is general among the universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. In other words, the fact that your schools don’t open up or write anywhere on their websites that they want at least 16-year candidates doesn’t mean they will take less than that.

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JAMB May Have Final Say on the Age Requirements

As a matter of fact, JAMB is the apex body in charge of admitting candidates now. Even if a school wants you, the body reserves the right to reject you. And as you can see above, the body has warned you and this is superior to any other body’s.

Therefore, yield to what JAMB wants instead of believing your school may ignore this warning.

At 14 or 15, Shouldn’t I Do JAMB?

As a matter of fact, you can. You can do that to just prepare yourself for UTME when you reach the right age. In other words, attempting JAMB at 14 or 15 will prepare you and familiarize you with the UTME CBT environments. Hence, it won’t be strange to you when you clock 16 to write another one.

And if you must use your present lower age to gain admission, you may have to increase that age to 16. This means you’ll be forced to add 2 or 1 year to your present age. Hence, you will need to obtain another birth certificate or age declaration certificate to back this newly claimed age.

No particular offense if you do this. In case you’re worried that the school will be asking you how you’re too early to finish your primary or secondary education, no higher institution is interested in that. It’s passed. All they want to see is your official birth certificate or court age declaration to back it up.

Recommended: Are All UTME Candidates Writing Exams the Same Day?

What of Age Required for School/College of Nursing?

First, admissions into the school of nursing are not administered by JAMB. In other words, it's the college of nursing and its management that determines the age they will accept for their admissions. However, in most cases, these colleges ask for ages between 17 to 18.

For instance, the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital requires applicants to be at least 17½ years old before they can apply for their Basic Nursing programmes. The same happens with Kwara State College of Nursing, Oke Ode. Whereas, UNILORIN School of Nursing demands 18 years or above.

Where a school of nursing is silent about age, they may want to decide the age limit later or be considerate. However, it's advisable you're 17 plus if you must obtain a college of nursing form.

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