The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates into Nigerian universities after they successfully passed a rigorous screening process.
According to a statement by JAMB’s Head of Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the candidates—all below 16 years as of September 2025—were selected from over two million applicants who sat for the 2025 UTME.
Out of 41,027 students who applied under the special category for underage admission, 599 scored at least 80% in the UTME. After further checks on their school certificates and post-UTME results, 182 were shortlisted for interviews. In the end, 85 met all criteria and were approved for admission.
Dr Benjamin said the policy aligns with global best practices, allowing rare exceptions for gifted students while maintaining high academic standards.
He added that any finalist who missed the last interview could still appeal through JAMB’s online support system under “2025 Underage Complaint.”
JAMB also gave candidates who scored above 320 but failed to upload their O’Level results two days to do so—before Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
The board reaffirmed its commitment to fairness and transparency in the admission process.
This development follows public backlash over the new minimum admission age policy, which initially required candidates to be at least 16 years old by August 2025.
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