JAMB exempts education, agriculture candidates from UTME; reaffirms 16-year age minimum
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced exemptions from the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for candidates pursuing education and non-engineering agriculture programs, while confirming the minimum admission age for Nigerian tertiary institutions remains 16.
JAMB in an X post on Monday stated, “Candidates seeking admissions into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME.”
The change targets National Certificate in Education (NCE) programs and agriculture courses in polytechnics.
Affected candidates need only register with JAMB and secure a minimum of four O’level credits to process admissions via the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
Officials say the move aims to “boost enrollment in teacher training and agriculture to tackle national shortages in these critical sectors.”
Separately, JAMB’s official X account clarified entry age rules for the 2026/2027 session, “Entering Age into the Nigerians Tertiary Institutions remains 16.”
This comes amid ongoing UTME result releases and cut-off discussions.
Under-16 applicants face “strict rules, including intensive evaluations or elevated score requirements for possible waivers by September 30, 2026.”
The updates address rising concerns over enrollment gaps and underage admissions as institutions gear up for the new cycle.
