JAMB Clears 85 Underage Candidates For Exceptional Admission Into Tertiary Institutions
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that 85 underage candidates have successfully completed its rigorous screening process for exceptional admission into tertiary institutions. In a statement on Monday, JAMB’s Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said all 85 candidates were younger than 16 years as of September 2025 and were deemed qualified after a multi-stage evaluation. “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. This policy of exceptional admission is consistent with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm,” the statement read. JAMB noted that out of 2,031,133 applicants in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 requested consideration under the special category. Of these, 599 scored the 80% UTME threshold and were subjected to further scrutiny of school certificates and PUTME screening, leading to the selection of 182 candidates. Following interviews, verification, and final screening, 85 candidates met all criteria and were cleared for admission. The board also advised any of the successful candidates who missed the final interview to submit a formal request through JAMB’s support system.