How JAMB plans to conduct admission process for 2026 underage UTME candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that the modalities used for the 2025 underage Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates remain intact in 2026. 

In an X post on Tuesday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, revealed that underage candidates (less than 16 years) will be subjected to an outlined admission screening process that the board introduced in 2025. 

The disclosure was made as Benjamin was clarifying why some candidates, specifically underage candidates, have yet to view their 2026 UTME results. 

In the board framework, underage candidates are classified as candidates who are under age 16 as of September 30 2026. The board also categorised these candidates under the exceptional category, as only those who demonstrate exceptional ability will be considered for admission.

However, candidates who will be at least 16 years old on or before the examination date are eligible.

The board clarified that underage candidates cannot view their 2026 UTME results for now. 

“When such candidates attempt to check their results, the system will return the message ‘No Result Yet,'” Benjamin said, adding that, “For now, results for underage candidates remain unreleased.”

The ongoing 2026 UTME, which commenced on Thursday, April 16 and is expected to end by Wednesday, April 22. So far, JAMB has released the results of nearly 2 million candidates out of the 2.2 million candidates expected for the examination. 

Also Read: JAMB quietly increased UTME SMS result-checking fee by 100%.

JAMB: Admission process for underage candidates

When JAMB introduced the consideration of underage candidates for UTME in 2025, the focus was to give exceptionally gifted students an enabling environment to demonstrate their brilliance. It also aimed to balance the minimum age requirement (16 years) set by the government with the need for academic maturity. 

At the screening process, the aim is to verify that such candidates are underage, vet that they are exceptional and ensure they are psychologically fit for University life. 

Criteria and screening process 

For an underage candidate to be considered for the screening process of admission, they must meet the following criteria.

• Register as exceptional minors and must fill out an indemnity form at their CBT centre. 
• A minimum of 80% UTME score (320 out of 400).
• A minimum of 80% in a single sitting of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or National Examinations Council (NECO).
• An 80% minimum score in the post-UTME screening conducted by their chosen institution.
• Science candidates must have a high score in Mathematics, while Arts candidates must excel in English Language.

Candidates who meet the above criteria will then be considered for the three-stage screening process. 

First Stage: The board screens the UTME results by selecting underage candidates who scored 80% or higher in the UTME and also meet the initial academic qualifications. Successful candidates will proceed to the next stage for further screening.

Second Stage: Underage candidates sit for their choice of university’s post-UTME. After which, the results are sent to JAMB for screening. Candidates who meet the 80% threshold are processed to the final stage for assessment.

Candidates who score below the threshold or are absent for their post-UTME are disqualified.

Third Stage: Here, underage candidates are subjected to a final assessment conducted by a special technical committee set up by JAMB. This stage includes subject-specific tests, a face-to-face oral interview and verification of O-Level results directly with WAEC and NECO.

Successful candidates will then be recommended for admission into their chosen universities.

At the 2025 UTME, only 85 out of an initial 41,027 underage candidates successfully passed the screening process. The initial stage saw 599 students meet the 80% (320) threshold in the UTME, while 182 candidates eventually progressed to the final stage.