JAMB says 85 brilliant underage candidates have been cleared to continue their admissions.
The board insists the rare approval follows strict checks and will remain exceptional only.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed that 85 underage applicants have successfully passed its special screening and have now been allowed to continue their admission process into various tertiary institutions.
This update was shared in Abuja on Monday by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, who explained that the candidates were part of a special review for those below the approved age for admission. He noted that although they did not meet the age requirements, the Board decided to assess them more closely due to their academic performance.
Benjamin stated that the affected students underwent strict checks, including verification of school records and interviews. He confirmed that the 85 who were cleared had satisfied all conditions, and they have already been informed to visit their chosen schools to complete admission procedures and print their admission letters.
According to the Board, this special clearance process is rare and follows global practices that allow highly gifted students to be considered under exceptional cases. The Board emphasized that these types of admissions will not become a common practice but will only apply when candidates show clear academic excellence at a young age.
Providing more background on the process, Benjamin revealed that more than two thousand applicants requested special consideration during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Out of this figure, over 41,000 candidates were listed as underage during their registration. Among them, 599 students were able to score at least 80 percent in the exam and moved to the next stage of review. Further screening and school certificate checks reduced the number to 182 finalists.
He added that from the remaining group, 85 candidates were certified fully qualified after all investigations were concluded. These candidates have now been allowed to move on with their admission process.
The Board also addressed concerns from others who were part of the special consideration list but could not participate in the final interview stage. Those who missed the screening for valid reasons have been advised to submit a formal request through JAMB’s online support platform for further guidance.
In addition, JAMB said that some candidates with very high scores who were initially disqualified for failing to upload their O-Level results have now been given a short extension to update their documents and notify the Board once done. They must ensure compliance within two days so their cases can be reviewed.
JAMB assured the public that every decision taken in this process is based on merit and fairness, while maintaining academic standards in the nation’s higher education system.
