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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed September 22 and 26 for the screening for over 500 exceptional candidates below 16 years of age seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this at a virtual meeting with relevant stakeholders on Wednesday, said the screening exercise will be conducted by a special technical committee set up by JAMB.
He said the Board is targeting only candidates who scored at least 320 in UTME (80%), achieve a minimum of 80% in post-UTME, and secured at least 80% (24/30 points) in a single WAEC or NECO sitting.
Prof. Oloyede said three venues, Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri, have been selected for the screening, disclosing that Lagos will host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66.
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He noted that out of 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) more than 40,000 did not scale the first hurdle, adding that the screening is to ensure that only exceptional and well-prepared underage candidates gain admission.
During the 2025 UTME, 599 scored above 300 but fell below the minimum admission age of 16, prompting the creation of the screening committee.
JAMB said the screening committee aligns with the Ministry of Education’s directive setting 16 as the minimum entry age for tertiary institutions.
It said the initiative was designed to ensure that candidates admitted are mentally and psychologically prepared for the demands of higher education. “People have been doing it in other parts of the world. We are not reinventing the wheel,” JAMB Registrar said.
JAMB said the policy will balance academic excellence with cognitive maturity, prevent age falsification, and protect young candidates from undue parental pressure.
