JAMB clears 85 underage candidates under exceptional admission policy

By Isaac Joseph

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates under its exceptional admission policy, following a rigorous multi-stage screening exercise designed to uphold transparency and fairness in the nation’s admission process.

In a statement released in Abuja on Monday by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board said the clearance followed a comprehensive evaluation of all candidates who sought consideration under the underage category.

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“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.

According to Dr. Benjamin, the policy aligns with international best practices, which permit exceptional admission only in rare cases of outstanding academic performance.

“This policy of exceptional admission is consistent with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm,” he added.

Providing a breakdown of the screening exercise, JAMB disclosed that out of 2,031,133 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 applied under the underage category. From that figure, 599 met the required 80-percent threshold in the UTME and were further assessed through verification of O-Level results, post-UTME scores, and interviews.

Following additional scrutiny, 182 candidates advanced to the final stage, and 85 were eventually cleared and recommended for admission after satisfying all stipulated requirements.

The statement further advised any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal request via the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the new category tagged “2025 Underage Complaint.”

In addition, the Board issued a final reminder to candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2025 UTME but were previously disqualified for failing to upload their O-Level results. Such candidates, JAMB said, have until Wednesday, October 29, 2025, to upload their results and notify the Board through its ticketing platform.

JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring equity, merit, and integrity in the conduct of all admission processes, stressing that its goal remains to promote access to higher education without compromising national standards.