The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates—those who will be below 16 years by September 2025—after conducting a thorough screening process under its exceptional admission policy.
According to a statement issued by Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, the 85 candidates were confirmed eligible following detailed assessments and have been directed to proceed to their respective institutions to finalize their admission process and print their JAMB admission letters.
JAMB noted that its exceptional admission policy is consistent with global best practices, where underage admissions are treated as rare exceptions rather than the standard.
In the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a total of 2,031,133 candidates applied for admission, with 41,027 seeking consideration under the special underage category. Among them, 599 candidates who scored at least 80 percent in the UTME underwent additional verification, including checks on their school certificates and post-UTME performance.
After further evaluation, 182 candidates (178 plus 4) were shortlisted for final interviews and documentation. Upon completion, 85 candidates were deemed to have met all required conditions and were subsequently cleared for admission.
The Board also advised any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview for genuine reasons to submit a formal request via the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the category “2025 Underage Complaint.” Such requests, JAMB said, will be reviewed individually and treated strictly on merit.
Additionally, candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but were disqualified for not uploading their O-Level results have been granted a two-day grace period—ending Wednesday, 29th October 2025—to complete the upload and notify the Board through the same system.
Reaffirming its dedication to fairness and academic integrity, JAMB emphasized that its admission process will remain credible, transparent, and inclusive, while maintaining the standards of tertiary education in Nigeria.