The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that exceptionally gifted students below 16 years old will be allowed to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), provided they meet stringent academic requirements. These students must score at least 80% in UTME, the West African Examination Council (WAEC), post-UTME, or General Certificate Examination (GCE) O’ Level before they can be considered for university admission.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made this revelation during a stakeholder meeting in Abuja with chief external examiners, technical advisors, civil society groups, and education monitors. He reiterated that while the national minimum age for university admission remains 16, exceptions will be made for outstanding students.
Oloyede emphasized that age is a crucial factor in academic and intellectual development. “Biological age affects cognitive and emotional readiness. If we ignore it entirely, we could have five- or ten-year-olds aspiring for roles they are not ready for,” he stated. However, he acknowledged that a small percentage of students are intellectually exceptional and should not be dismissed.
To identify these students, JAMB will assess their past academic records and UTME performance. “If an under-16 candidate scores 200 out of 400, they are not exceptional. But if they score 80% or higher, it signals that they are truly gifted,” he explained.
The JAMB registrar also criticized the increasing number of underage students registering for UTME, attributing it to parents who push their children into early university admission for prestige. He noted that in previous years, the number of underage candidates was around 300, but within just five days of registration this year, it had already exceeded 4,997. “By the end of today, it will be over 5,000. Many parents are misdirecting their children, using their academic achievements as a decoration for their CVs,” he lamented.
Private universities were also called out for admitting underage students, many of whom struggle to keep up academically and eventually switch programs.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to providing free UTME application forms for candidates with disabilities who have at least five O’ Level credits. This initiative, introduced last year, aims to ease financial burdens and increase access to higher education for students with special needs.
JAMB has registered over 420,000 candidates for this year’s UTME, with 32,435 signing up in a single day. The board is targeting two million candidates overall. Additionally, 124,632 students have registered for the mock UTME, bringing the total number of trial-test takers to 331.
Meanwhile, six Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers have been sanctioned for engaging in blank registration, a tactic often linked to exam malpractice. These centers were suspended for a week, and their employees have been permanently blacklisted from all JAMB-related activities, including future roles in academia.
“We initially considered a two-week suspension but realized that students would suffer more than the CBT centers. Instead, we identified and blacklisted the individuals responsible. These six people will never be involved in JAMB activities again,” Oloyede stated.
On university governance, Oloyede proposed that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should oversee the budget and funding of universities, in addition to its role in accrediting courses. He argued that universities lobbying the National Assembly for budget approval weakens the system.
“When the NUC managed university funding, budgets were based on student numbers and academic performance. Now, institutions with more influence get more funding. Allowing the NUC to coordinate university finances would restore balance and efficiency,” he said.
With the 2025 UTME registration ongoing, JAMB is focusing on enforcing age policies, tackling exam malpractice, and improving access to education while ensuring only qualified students enter the university system.
