JAMB Clears 85 Underage ‘Exceptional’ Candidates for University Admission

Board insists move aligns with global best practices, stresses rarity of exemption policy

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates who were found exceptionally qualified after a rigorous screening process, marking a rare implementation of its “exceptional admission policy.”
According to a statement released by the Board on Sunday, the candidates — all of whom are below 16 years old as of September 2025 — were among over 41,000 applicants who sought age-related waivers in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“After meticulous evaluation, 85 candidates adjudged to be qualified have been duly notified to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their JAMB admission letters,” the statement said.
JAMB explained that of the 2,031,133 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, 41,027 applied for special consideration under the underage category. From this number, 599 candidates scored at least 80 percent in the UTME and were subjected to further scrutiny through school certificate verification and post-UTME (PUTME) assessments.
Following interviews and background checks, 182 candidates were shortlisted as finalists, out of which 85 met all required criteria to be granted admission.
Candidates who missed the final interview, JAMB added, can still appeal through its online Support Ticketing System under a newly created “2025 Underage Complaint” category. The review window, however, is limited strictly to the 182 finalists.
“Such complaints will be reviewed individually, and decisions will be made strictly on their own merits,” the Board clarified.
In a related development, JAMB also announced a two-day grace period for candidates who scored 320 and above in the UTME but failed to upload their O’Level results. These candidates have until Wednesday, October 29, 2025, to complete the upload and notify the Board via the same ticketing platform.
Under JAMB’s admission policy, candidates must be at least 16 years old by the beginning of the academic session to be eligible for tertiary admission. However, the exceptional admission clause was introduced in 2021 to cater for rare cases of precocious or gifted children, aligning with international practices observed in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
Education experts note that while such flexibility encourages inclusivity for highly talented students, it must be balanced with emotional and social readiness for tertiary education.
Dr. Akin Adebayo, an education policy analyst, commended JAMB’s careful handling of the issue.
“The Board has struck a delicate balance between merit and maturity. Exceptional cases should not become a loophole for abuse, and JAMB seems to understand that,” he said.
The Board emphasized that the exceptional admission policy will remain “a rare exception rather than the norm.”
“This policy is consistent with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions,” JAMB reiterated. “We remain committed to a credible, transparent, and inclusive admission process while maintaining the integrity of academic standards.”
Observers see the move as another effort by JAMB to consolidate its image as a reform-driven agency committed to transparency, following a series of digital innovations and tighter screening mechanisms introduced in recent years under its Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.