JAMB approves admission for 85 Underage Candidates after rigorous screening

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved the admission of 85 underage candidates, those who will be below 16 years by September 2025, following a thorough screening process conducted under its exceptional admission policy according to famous platform Very Nigerian. 

In a statement issued by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, the Board said the 85 candidates were adjudged qualified after a meticulous evaluation and have been directed to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their admission letters.

JAMB explained that the exceptional admission policy aligns with global standards, where underage admissions are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm.

Out of the 2,031,133 candidates who applied for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 sought consideration under the underage category.

Of these, 599 candidates scored at least 80 percent in the UTME and underwent further screening, including verification of school certificates and post-UTME performance.

After additional interviews and documentation, 182 candidates were shortlisted, and 85 were eventually found to have met all the required criteria for admission.

JAMB advised any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal complaint through the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the “2025 Underage Complaint” category for review.

The Board also gave a two-day grace, ending Wednesday, October 29, 2025, for candidates who scored 320 and above but were disqualified for failing to upload their O-Level results to complete the process and notify the Board through the same ticketing system.

Reaffirming its commitment to fairness and transparency, JAMB assured that its admission process remains credible, inclusive, and aligned with global best practices in tertiary education.