THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates, following what it described as a rigorous and exceptional screening process designed to identify outstanding young students below the age of 16.
In a statement signed by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin sent to News Point Nigeria, JAMB said the decision followed “meticulous evaluation” and was consistent with global best practices, where underage admissions are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm.
“After thorough verification and interviews, 85 candidates who met the established criteria have been duly cleared to proceed to their respective institutions and print their JAMB admission letters,” Benjamin said.
According to JAMB, the approval came after a multi-stage assessment process that began with 41,027 underage applicants seeking exceptional admission consideration from among 2,031,133 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Out of these, 599 candidates scored above the 80 percent threshold and were subjected to further scrutiny, including verification of their school certificates and Post-UTME performance. From that group, 182 finalists emerged, and following the final round of interviews and checks, 85 were adjudged fully qualified.
“This exceptional admission policy is not a relaxation of standards,” JAMB emphasized. “Rather, it recognises extraordinary intellectual maturity among a few candidates who have demonstrated readiness for tertiary education ahead of the statutory age.”
The Board also announced a special window for any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal request through the JAMB Support Ticketing System, under a new category titled “2025 Underage Complaint.” Each case, it said, will be treated strictly on its own merit.
In a related development, JAMB has also given candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2025 UTME but were disqualified for failing to upload their O-Level results a two-day grace period, ending Wednesday, October 29, 2025, to complete the upload and notify the Board through the same support channel.
Dr. Benjamin reiterated JAMB’s commitment to maintaining credibility, transparency, and fairness in the admission process while ensuring that academic integrity is not compromised.
“Our mandate is to ensure that every qualified candidate, regardless of age or background, is given a fair chance,” he said. “At the same time, we will continue to uphold the standards that guarantee the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.”
