JAMB Confirms Only 467 Underage Candidates Met Exceptional Score Mark in 2025 UTME

Out of over 40,000 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), only 467 have been confirmed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to have met the exceptional score benchmark.

These candidates were allowed to participate in the UTME under a special policy to give room for exceptionally gifted students below the minimum age of 16. According to JAMB, these candidates were not considered for admission but were given the opportunity to prove their academic strength through the exam.

However, only 1.16% (467 out of 40,247) of them achieved scores that fall within what JAMB considers the “exceptional ability” range, which qualifies them for further assessment in the three additional stages of evaluation. These stages, according to JAMB, will determine their overall eligibility for possible admission consideration or academic recognition.

What Happens Next?

JAMB clarified that these 467 candidates are not automatically offered admission. Instead, they will undergo additional scrutiny including:

• Verification of their academic credentials
• Confirmation of outstanding performance in their school records
• Possible testing or interviews by their chosen institutions

The rest of the underage candidates — those who failed to meet the high-performance standard — will not proceed to the next stages. Most will likely need to wait until they are of age before they can legally secure admission into Nigerian universities.

Background

In 2024, JAMB introduced a limited policy allowing exceptionally brilliant students under the age of 16 to write the UTME. The aim was to give such candidates an early opportunity to showcase their talent, but only those with UTME scores above 280 and excellent school records would be considered for further academic progression.

This year, the board reiterated that this is not a general exemption from the age requirement, but rather a merit-based exception for the most academically advanced students.

Final Note

JAMB is expected to release more details about how these 467 underage candidates will proceed, and whether any institutions have shown interest in admitting them under special circumstances.

Would you like a follow-up article exploring the age policy and its implications for gifted students in Nigeria?