About 500 exceptional candidates below the age of 16, seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session, will face Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) screening committee on September 22 and 26.
The screening exercise which will be conducted by a special technical committee set up by board, according to
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, will
hold in three states – Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri.
Lagos will host 397 candidates of these candidates; Owerri 136, and Abuja 66.
This was the highlight of decision reached during a virtual meeting of the board held on Wednesday.
Oloyede stated that the screening exercise is to ensure that only exceptional and well-prepared underage candidates gain admission.
The assessment committee headed by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, will subject the candidates on subject-specific tests as well as a brief oral interview.
Prof. Adrdoja disclosed that the committee will also request result details from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to verify the eligibility of some shortlisted candidates before they appear for interviews.
According to him, the initiative is designed to ensure that candidates admitted are mentally and psychologically prepared for the demands of higher education.
He explained that JAMB is targeting only candidates who scored at least 320 in UTME, a minimum of 80% in post-UTME, and secure at least 80% (24/30 points) in a single WAEC or NECO sitting.
JAMB disclosed that more than 40,000 of 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME did not scale the first hurdle.
And out of the 1.955 million candidates who sat for the examination nationwide, 599 underage candidates scored above 300, hence the screening exercise.
The Federal Government has pegged minimum age for admission into university at 16.
