Out of the 41,027 underaged candidates who sought admission to tertiary institutions through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, 85 have been given the nod to be admitted into various universities by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
The candidates were given the nod after a series of screening and testing by the Board following their exceptional performance in the UTME.
They were below the approved age of 16 as at September, this year.
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According to the Board, in a statement by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, the 85 candidates were judged qualified following a meticulous evaluation and have been duly notified to proceed to their respective institutions to complete their admission process and print their individual JAMB admission letters.
JAMB explained that the exceptional admission policy aligns with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm.
In the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a total of 2,031,133 candidates applied for admission, out of which 41,027 sought consideration under the special underage category.
Of these, 599 candidates scored at least 80 percent in the UTME and were subjected to further scrutiny, including verification of their school certificates and post-UTME performance.
Following this phase, 182 candidates (178 plus 4) were shortlisted for the final stage of interviews and documentation. Upon completion of the process, 85 candidates were found to have met all required criteria and were subsequently cleared for admission.
JAMB further advised any of the 182 finalists who, for valid reasons, missed the final interview to submit a formal request through the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the category “2025 Underage Complaint.”
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The Board said such complaints would be reviewed individually and treated strictly on merit.
Additionally, candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but were disqualified for failing to upload their O-Level results have been given a two-day grace,ending Wednesday, 29th October 2025,to complete the upload and notify the Board through the same ticketing system.
