The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has completed the screening of 176 underage but exceptionally brilliant candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This special exercise was carried out after the board received over 41,000 applications from candidates below the approved admission age limit.
According to reports confirmed by Premium Times, the screening was conducted simultaneously in Abuja, Owerri (Imo State), and Lagos. The process involved a written assessment that lasted about 20 minutes, immediately followed by face-to-face interviews with a panel of education officials and university representatives.
JAMB explained that the exercise was introduced to give exceptionally gifted underage candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and readiness for higher education. The board emphasized that the initiative does not undermine the national policy on minimum entry age but ensures fairness to talented students who are academically ahead of their age group.
Officials revealed that although 41,027 underage candidates applied, only 176 met the initial screening criteria to proceed to this stage. The candidates’ performances, maturity, and academic readiness are now being evaluated to determine who among them may be eligible for early admission into Nigerian universities.
Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and vice chancellors from selected institutions participated in the screening process to ensure transparency and proper oversight.
JAMB reiterated that the approved age for university admission remains 18 years, though the national policy allows entry from 16. However, the board acknowledged that some cases of underage registration were caused by errors or false age declarations, while others were genuine cases of exceptional ability.
The screening marks a major step in JAMB’s effort to strike a balance between maintaining academic standards and supporting gifted students who show readiness for higher learning despite being below the required age. The board said the final list of successful candidates from the screening will be released in due course.
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