The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed the screening date for over 500 exceptional candidates below the age of 16, seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The exercise would be conducted between September 22 and 26 by a special technical committee set up by JAMB, according to resolutions reached during a virtual meeting held on Wednesday.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who noted that the screenings would hold in three states: Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri, explained that Lagos would host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66 candidates.
According to him, more than 40,000 of 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) did not scale the first hurdle.
The screening, Oloyede said, was to ensure that only exceptional and well-prepared underage candidates gain admission; “People have been doing it in other parts of the world. We are not reinventing the wheel.”
Presenting its report on the planned assessment during the meeting, a subcommittee led by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja disclosed that candidates would face subject-specific tests followed by a brief oral interview.
The committee also resolved to request result details from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to verify the eligibility of some shortlisted candidates before they appear for interviews.
Participants in the virtual meeting included heads of tertiary institutions, government agencies, civil society representatives, members of the Nigerian Academy of Education, and the principal of Federal Government Gifted Academy, Suleja.
Recall that out of the 1.955 million candidates who sat for this year’s UTME nationwide, 599 scored above 300 but fell below the minimum admission age of 16, prompting the creation of the screening committee.
The initiative is designed to ensure that candidates admitted are mentally and psychologically prepared for the demands of higher education.
The Board is targeting only candidates who scored at least 320 in UTME (80%), achieved a minimum of 80% in post-UTME, and secured at least 80% (24/30 points) in a single WAEC or NECO sitting.
