The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has granted admission to 85 candidates who were below 16 years of age as of September 2025, citing their exceptional academic performance.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement on Monday, JAMB said the decision followed a “rigorous screening process” designed to identify and approve only outstanding candidates who met the board’s strict criteria.
According to JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the policy aligns with global best practices, where “such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm.”
Out of 2,031,133 applicants who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 sought consideration under this special category. Of that number, 599 candidates met the required 80 per cent threshold in the UTME and were subsequently screened based on their school certificates and post-UTME results.
Following the additional evaluation process, 182 candidates were shortlisted, and 85 were ultimately cleared for admission.
“After due verification, interviews, and screening, 85 candidates were found to have met the criteria and have consequently been cleared for admission,” Benjamin said.
JAMB has also opened a window for the remaining 182 finalists who may have missed the final interview due to valid reasons. They are encouraged to submit formal requests through the JAMB support ticketing system under the category “2025 underage complaint.”
Additionally, the board announced a two-day grace period for candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but were earlier disqualified for failing to upload their O’level results. Such candidates have until October 29 to complete the process and notify JAMB via its ticketing system.
