The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to screen 599 outstanding candidates below the age of 16 who are seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The screening will take place between September 22 and 26, 2025, at three centres: Lagos (397 candidates), Owerri (136), and Abuja (66). The exercise will be conducted by a special technical committee set up by JAMB.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the move follows a review of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), in which 41,027 underage candidates participated, but only 599 scored above 300. The policy aims to ensure that only academically exceptional and mentally prepared underage students gain admission, in line with the Ministry of Education’s directive setting 16 years as the minimum entry age for universities.
The subcommittee led by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja revealed that candidates will take subject-specific tests and undergo short oral interviews. JAMB will also seek verification of WAEC or NECO results to confirm eligibility.
To qualify, candidates must have scored at least 320 in UTME (80%), attained a minimum of 80% in post-UTME, and scored at least 80% (24/30 points) in one WAEC or NECO sitting.
Four universities — Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; University of Jos; and Osun State University — have already indicated they will not admit underage candidates under any circumstances.
According to JAMB, the policy is designed to balance academic excellence with cognitive maturity, discourage age falsification, and protect young learners from excessive parental pressure.
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