The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates who successfully completed its rigorous screening process for exceptional admission into tertiary institutions.
In a statement released on Monday by its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board explained that the candidates—each below 16 years of age as of September 2025—were cleared after a comprehensive, multi-stage evaluation exercise.
“After meticulous evaluation, 85 candidates who are adjudged to be qualified have been duly notified to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their individual JAMB admission letters,” the statement read.
JAMB noted that the “policy of exceptional admission” aligns with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm.
According to the Board, out of 2,031,133 applicants who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a total of 41,027 applied under the special category for underage consideration.
Of these, 599 candidates scored at least 80% in the UTME and were subjected to additional scrutiny, including school certificate and Post-UTME verification. This process produced 182 finalists (178 + 4), out of which 85 were found fully qualified and subsequently cleared for admission.
JAMB also urged any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal request via its support platform:
🔗 https://support.jamb.gov.ng — under the category “2025 Underage Complaint.”
“Such complaints will be reviewed individually, and decisions will be made strictly on their own merits,” the Board said, adding that the window applies only to the 182 shortlisted finalists.
Additionally, candidates who scored 320 and above but were disqualified for failing to upload their O’Level results have been given two days (until Wednesday, October 29, 2025) to upload their results and notify the Board through the same platform.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, inclusiveness, and academic integrity, reiterating that only candidates who will be 16 years or older by August 2025 are ordinarily eligible for tertiary admission, except in these exceptional cases.
