The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has introduced stringent procedures for the screening of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, candidates, still under the age of 16 years for admission into Nigerian universities in the 2025/2026 academic session.
This follows a government policy pegging official minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years, with exceptions for high performing candidates under 16.
In a virtual meeting with vice chancellors and heads of admissions in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, warned that the Board would no longer allow anyone to push psychologically and emotionally unprepared children into the university environment.
Oloyede reaffirmed sixteen years as the minimum entry age for tertiary education.
He however explained that underage candidates would only be considered for admission after proving exceptional academic brilliance.
According to Oloyede, such candidates must meet three academic criteria before they can be offered admission.
The criteria include: a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400 (80%), a post-UTME score of at least 80%, and a minimum of 80% in a single sitting of WAEC or NECO, amounting to 24 points out of 30.
Combination of results
The JAMB Registrar outlawed combined of results from two different exam bodies such as mixing WAEC and NECO results for such category of candidates.
Also, science students among them must include mathematics in their top subjects, while arts students must include English.
Oloyede urged relevant institutions to assess all under-16 candidates through a dedicated post-UTME, even if they have suspended such a process for the general admission population.
He explained that afterwards, JAMB will collate the academic records and forward only those who meet all benchmarks for further screening.
In the meantime, JAMB has inaugurated a 23-man National Committee on Underage Admission, chaired by its Registrar, Professor Oloyede.
The committee is to carry out the screening of the underage candidates in Abuja, Lagos and Owerri.
The board also announced the introduction of a fourth layer of assessment that includes effective and psychomotor evaluations, areas previously overlooked in the admissions process.
A sub-committee of education experts was also set up to design the screening template to ensure the emotional and psychological preparedness of the candidates.
Chaired by Professor Taoheed Adedoja, a former Minister of Sports and a renowned expert in special education, the sub-committee has been given one week to submit its framework.
Out of the over 38,000 underage candidates who applied for admission, only 599 scored 320 and above in UTME.
This JAMB said justifies the need for a tight filter.
