The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed September 22–26, 2025, for the special screening of over 500 candidates below the age of 16 who excelled in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to the board, the exercise will be conducted simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri by a technical committee established to assess the readiness of these young candidates for higher education. Lagos will host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, explained that the process is aimed at identifying only the most exceptional and well-prepared underage students, noting that similar practices exist in other countries. He disclosed that out of the 41,027 underage UTME candidates this year, more than 40,000 did not meet the initial criteria for shortlisting.
The assessment will feature subject-specific tests and a short oral interview. The committee will also verify WAEC results for some candidates before interviews take place.
Of the 1.95 million candidates who sat for UTME this year, 599 scored above 300 but did not meet the 16-year age requirement set by the Ministry of Education. JAMB’s guidelines stipulate that underage candidates must have at least 320 in UTME, 80% in post-UTME, and a minimum of 80% in WAEC or NECO in one sitting to be considered.
Four universities — Air Force Institute of Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, University of Jos, and Osun State University — have already stated they will not admit underage students under any circumstances.
