The Federal Government has approved a major reform of admission entry requirements for tertiary institutions, introducing a more flexible and inclusive system to widen access to higher education.
According to a statement by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, the new policy, driven by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and aims to democratise education opportunities for Nigerian youths.
Dr. Alausa said the reform became necessary to end years of restrictive admission rules that denied qualified candidates access to tertiary education. He noted that while over two million candidates sit for UTME yearly, only about 700,000 gain admission due to outdated entry policies.
Under the new guidelines, Mathematics will no longer be compulsory for Arts students, though it remains mandatory for Science, Technology, and Social Science courses. Admission requirements for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies have also been updated to reflect this flexibility while maintaining academic standards.