The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the UTME results along with the final admission decisions for 85 exceptional underage candidates. These students, all under 16 years old, successfully passed a stringent screening process tailored for outstanding performers. Initially, 41,027 applicants under the age of 16 who scored at least 320 marks in the 2025 UTME exam were considered for this special admission track.
In a press release on Monday, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s media director, confirmed that following a comprehensive evaluation, these 85 candidates have been granted admission into their chosen tertiary institutions.
“All admitted candidates are required to visit their respective schools to complete the admission formalities and print their JAMB admission letters. This unique admission framework is consistent with global practices, where such cases are treated as exceptional rather than commonplace,” the statement highlighted.
Dr. Fabian further explained that out of the 2,031,133 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, 41,027 registered under the special underage category. Among them, only 599 candidates achieved the minimum 80% score (320 marks) required to advance.
These 599 candidates then underwent additional verification steps, including validation of their academic credentials and post-UTME assessments conducted by their preferred institutions. This rigorous process reduced the pool to 182 candidates (178 plus 4 exceptional cases). Following detailed interviews and document checks, only 85 candidates met all the criteria for admission.
It was noted that some candidates were absent during the final screening phase. JAMB has assured that those among the 182 finalists who missed the final evaluation due to valid reasons may submit appeals for reconsideration.
“Finalists who were unable to attend the last interview for legitimate reasons should lodge a formal appeal through the JAMB Support Ticketing System at https://support.jamb.gov.ng, selecting the category ‘2025 Underage Complaint’. This option is exclusively for the 182 shortlisted candidates who missed the final interview,” Dr. Fabian added.
Moreover, candidates who scored 320 or above but were disqualified for not uploading their O-Level results have been granted a two-day extension until Wednesday, 29 October, to submit the required documents. They must also inform JAMB via the ticketing system once the upload is complete.
Further Reading: UTME 2025: How Students Exploited the JAMB System to Commit Sophisticated Malpractices.
Eligibility Requirements for Exceptional Underage Candidates
For the 2025 UTME cycle, JAMB set forth specific criteria for candidates under 16 years old as of September 2025 to be considered for this special admission pathway:
- Registration as an exceptional minor, including signing an indemnity agreement at the CBT center.
- Achieving a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400 (80%).
- Obtaining at least 80% in a single sitting of recognized O-Level exams such as WAEC or NECO.
- Scoring at least 80% in the post-UTME screening conducted by the institution of choice.
- Science candidates must demonstrate strong competence in Mathematics, while Arts candidates are expected to excel in English Language.
Detailed Breakdown of the Screening Process
The admission process for the 2025/2026 academic session was conducted in three key phases:
Phase 1: From the initial 41,027 underage applicants, only 599 candidates who scored 80% or higher in the UTME advanced to the next stage.
Phase 2: These candidates participated in post-UTME screenings at their selected universities. The results were submitted to JAMB for confirmation. Failure to attend this internal screening resulted in automatic disqualification.
Phase 3: A dedicated technical committee appointed by JAMB carried out a final assessment of 182 shortlisted candidates. This included subject-specific tests, oral interviews, and direct verification of O-Level results with WAEC and NECO authorities.
Following this exhaustive evaluation, 85 candidates satisfied all admission requirements and were officially approved for enrollment.