JAMB clears 85 underage candidates for admission
By Uji A. Iliyasu, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cleared 85 underage candidates, those below 16 years by September 2025, to proceed with admission into tertiary institutions after successfully passing its special screening process for exceptional cases.
In a statement signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Board said the clearance followed rigorous verification, interviews, and documentation.
Benjamin said, “Eighty-five candidates who satisfied all conditions have been cleared and advised to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their JAMB admission letters.”
He explained that the policy of exceptional admission aligns with global best practices, noting that such cases are rare and handled strictly on merit.
He disclosed that out of 2,031,133 applicants who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 candidates sought consideration under the underage category. Of these, 599 scored 80 per cent or above in the UTME and were shortlisted for further scrutiny involving school certificate verification and Post-UTME screening.
The process, he said, produced 182 finalists (178 + 4), from which 85 were finally cleared for admission after interviews and checks.
JAMB further advised any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal request through the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the category “2025 Underage Complaint.” Such cases, the Board noted, would be reviewed individually on merit.
In a related development, the examination body has given candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but failed to upload their O-Level results another opportunity to do so within two days — not later than Wednesday, 29 October 2025 — and report via the ticketing platform.
Dr Benjamin reaffirmed JAMB’s commitment to maintaining credibility, transparency, and inclusiveness in its admission processes, while upholding the integrity of academic standards across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.