The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has granted admission to 85 candidates who were below 16 years old as of September 2025, following a rigorous evaluation process under its special policy for exceptional candidates.
In a statement issued on Monday, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s head of Media, said the decision came after a thorough multi-stage screening process designed to identify and reward academic excellence while maintaining the integrity of the admission system.
According to Benjamin, the special admission policy aligns with global best practices, where exceptional but underage students are considered as rare exceptions rather than the norm.
“After meticulous evaluation, 85 candidates who were adjudged to be qualified have been duly notified to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their JAMB admission letters,” the statement read.
The board explained that out of the 2,031,133 applicants who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a total of 41,027 sought to be considered under this special category.
Of these, 599 scored 80 percent or above in the UTME and were subjected to further scrutiny involving verification of school certificates and post-UTME results.
Following additional interviews and assessments, 182 candidates were shortlisted, and 85 of them were ultimately cleared for admission based on academic merit and compliance with all other criteria.
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JAMB also directed any of the 182 shortlisted candidates who missed the final interview to submit a formal request through its support ticketing system under the category “2025 Underage Complaint” for possible review.
The statement further noted that candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but were disqualified for failing to upload their O’Level results would be given two additional days up to Wednesday, October 29, 2025 to complete the process and notify the board through the same platform.
Reaffirming its commitment to fairness, inclusiveness, and transparency, JAMB said the exercise underscores its resolve to reward merit while maintaining high academic standards across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
