By The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced it will screen over 500 exceptional candidates under the age of sixteen who are seeking admission for the 2025/2026 academic session from 22 to 26 September. This initiative, conducted by a special technical committee, aims to ensure that only well-prepared underage candidates gain admission.
Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB, stated that screenings will take place in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri, with 397, 66, and 136 candidates, respectively. He noted that out of 41,027 underage candidates who took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over 40,000 did not meet the initial requirements. The screening process will include subject-specific tests and brief oral interviews, with eligibility verified through results from the West African Examination Council.
The initiative follows the Ministry of Education’s directive setting the minimum entry age at 16 and aims to ensure candidates are mentally prepared for higher education. Four universities have stated they will not admit underage candidates. The board is targeting candidates who score at least 320 in the UTME, achieve a minimum of 80% in the post-UTME, and secure at least 80% in a single sitting of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The Federal Government, in July, officially set the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years, as announced by Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s 2025 Policy Meeting. This new age benchmark replaces the previous requirement of 18 years and is now deemed non-negotiable. Alausa stated that any admissions outside the Central Admissions Processing System will be considered illegal. He highlighted that this decision aims to balance academic readiness with cognitive maturity while also allowing for documented exceptions for gifted children or those with accelerated educational progress.
