Breaking: JAMB To Begin Screening of Underage Candidates, Date, Other Details Emerge
- JAMB scheduled 22–26 September for screening over 500 exceptional underage candidates in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri for 2025/2026 admissions
- Only candidates meeting high UTME, post-UTME, and WAEC/NECO standards will proceed, with subject tests and oral interviews planned
- Policy aims to uphold minimum entry age of 16, prevent age falsification, and protect young learners from undue parental pressure
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set 22–26 September for the screening of more than 500 exceptional candidates under the age of 16 seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Screening to hold in three cities
Source: Twitter
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, announced that the exercise will take place in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri.
“Lagos will host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66,” he said, adding that the process will be handled by a special technical committee.
Only exceptional candidates to be considered
According to Oloyede, out of the 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, over 40,000 failed to pass the initial screening.
“This exercise is to ensure only exceptional and well-prepared underage candidates gain admission. People have been doing it in other parts of the world. We are not reinventing the wheel,” he explained.
Assessment and verification process
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Committee chair, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, revealed that candidates will undergo subject-specific tests and a short oral interview.
He added:
“We will also obtain result details from WAEC to verify the eligibility of shortlisted candidates before interviews.”
Policy to protect young learners
The screening follows the Ministry of Education’s policy setting 16 as the minimum age for university entry.
JAMB noted that four universities, Air Force Institute of Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, University of Jos, and Osun State University, will not admit underage candidates under any circumstances.
The Board stressed that the goal is to combine academic excellence with cognitive maturity, curb age falsification, and shield young candidates from excessive parental pressure.
JAMB begins UTME to DE conversion
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to Direct Entry (DE) conversion.
JAMB said the UTME to DE conversion is available at its Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) nationwide. The board 2025 UTME candidates with higher qualifications suitable for Direct Entry (DE) to take note.
Source: Legit.ng
