By Felix Khanoba
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced a new set of strict procedures for evaluating exceptional Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates under the age of 16 who seek admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic year.
Announcing the measures during a virtual session with vice chancellors and admissions heads on Wednesday in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, said the board will no longer condone what he described as the “academic abuse” of sending emotionally and psychologically unready children into the demands of university life.
The policy comes in line with the federal government’s directive setting 16 years as the minimum age for university admission, with exceptions for outstanding candidates below the threshold.
At the 2025 JAMB policy meeting, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained that the decision seeks to strike a balance between academic readiness and emotional maturity, while curbing the increasing number of underage entrants into universities.
Reaffirming the age benchmark, Oloyede stressed that under-16 candidates will only be considered where there is clear evidence of exceptional academic talent.
“We are not saying no child under 16 will be admitted, but they must pass through a rigorous screening process that confirms they are truly gifted. This policy is not just about age; it’s about maturity, capacity, and long-term wellbeing,” he said.
To qualify, applicants below 16 must meet three academic conditions: a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400, at least 80% in post-UTME, and 80% in a single sitting of WAEC or NECO—amounting to 24 out of 30 points.
Oloyede also prohibited mixing results from different examination bodies such as WAEC and NECO. He added that science candidates must have mathematics among their top grades, while arts candidates must include English.
He instructed all institutions to conduct a special post-UTME for underage candidates, even if such exams have been suspended for the wider admission process. JAMB will compile and forward the records of only those who meet the set standards for further evaluation.
In a related development, JAMB has set up a 23-member National Committee on Underage Admission, chaired by Oloyede, to screen eligible candidates in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri.
The board also announced the introduction of a fourth layer of assessment that includes affective and psychomotor evaluations, areas previously overlooked in the admissions process.
A subcommittee of education experts was also set up to design the screening template to ensure the emotional and psychological preparedness of the candidates.
The committee, chaired by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, a former Minister of Sports and a renowned expert in special education, has been given one week to submit its framework, while the actual screening of candidates will take place in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri.
“We have decided that between now and mid-September, the candidates, out of the 599 those that will scale the eventual order will be announced. And their school search will be weighed. Of course, they will score, they have to score 80 percent in school search.
“They will write post-UTME independently. The institutions will submit, later by 16th of September, they will submit the scores of the post-UTME, and anybody who is below 80 is already out of it.
“Then the panel of experts that will consider them, that will sit in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri. So these are the decisions we have taken, and we are emphasising to parents not to be desperate, because these children, we must allow them to mature, or to show what they are made of. Parents, we are more afraid of parents than even the young ones themselves,” he said.
Oloyede disclosed that out of the over 38,000 underage candidates who applied for admission, only 599 scored 320 and above in UTME, justifying the need for a tight filter.
“These are the only ones qualified for possible waiver consideration. And even they are not guaranteed admission unless cleared by our multi-layered screening system,” he said.
He noted that JAMB has already removed all under-16 candidates from its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), and institutions willing to admit them must obtain JAMB’s approval or face sanctions.
The JAMB boss also disclosed that at least four universities have formally declared they will not accept under-16 candidates under any circumstance. These are the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; University of Jos; and Osun State University.
Oloyede advised underage candidates to consider alternative institutions that welcome JAMB-cleared exceptional applicants. He blamed poor policy enforcement and societal pressures for the persistence of underage applications.
