JAMB Introduces Strict Screening for Under-16 Candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rolled out stringent procedures for screening exceptional Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates who are still under the age of 16 for admission into Nigerian universities in the 2025/2026 academic session.

The JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who made this known during a virtual meeting with vice chancellors and heads of admissions in Abuja, said the Board would no longer tolerate the academic abuse of pushing psychologically and emotionally unprepared children into the university environment. While reaffirming sixteen years as the minimum entry age for tertiary education, Professor Oloyede said underage candidates would only be considered on clearly proven grounds of exceptional academic brilliance.

He maintained that to qualify for consideration, under-16 candidates must meet three academic criteria, which are a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400 (80%), a post-UTME score of at least 80%, and a minimum of 80% in a single sitting of WAEC or NECO, amounting to 24 points out of 30.

Professor Oloyede also outlawed the combination of results from two different examination bodies, such as mixing WAEC and NECO results for such a category of candidates, adding that science students must include mathematics in their top subjects, while arts students must include English.

He urged relevant institutions to assess all under-16 candidates through a dedicated post-UTME, even if the school has suspended such a process for the general admission population, noting that JAMB will then collate the academic records and forward only those who meet all benchmarks for further screening. Meanwhile, JAMB has also inaugurated a 23-man National Committee on Underage Admission, chaired by its Registrar, Professor Oloyede, to carry out the screening of the underage 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 Professor Taoheed Adedoja, a former Minister of Sports and a renowned expert in special education, has been given one week to submit its framework.

In a statement, it explains 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.