The Federal Government has unveiled a fresh set of admission criteria for tertiary institutions across Nigeria. In a broadcast made public by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, candidates applying for non-science disciplines will no longer need a credit pass in mathematics.
These changes target universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise academies, and are intended to make higher education more accessible by relaxing entry constraints.
Under the new policy, university hopefuls must obtain at least five credit passes in relevant subjects, including English, within a maximum of two exam sittings. Mathematics remains mandatory only for science, technology, and social science programmes.
For polytechnics, non-science applicants must secure a minimum of four credit passes (including English), while mathematics is compulsory for science courses.
Prospective students of colleges of education (NCE level) also need at least four credit passes, with English required for arts and social science courses, and mathematics for vocational, technical, and science tracks.
At the HND and B.Ed levels, five credit passes are required, including English and mathematics where applicable to the course of study.
The directive further mandates that innovation enterprise academies adopt the same baseline standards as polytechnics for their National Diploma programs, and it also discontinues the National Innovation Diploma (NID).
