2025/2026 admissions: JAMB to screen over 500 exceptional underage candidates

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will conduct a special screening exercise for more than 500 outstanding candidates below the age of 16 who are seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.The screening will take place from September 22 to 26, 2025.

According to resolutions from a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, the exercise will be overseen by a special technical committee set up by JAMB.

JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, announced that three centres have been designated for the process: Lagos (397 candidates), Owerri (136 candidates), and Abuja (66 candidates).

Oloyede explained that of the 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over 40,000 did not meet the initial qualification criteria.

The screening aims to ensure that only the most exceptional and adequately prepared underage candidates are considered for admission. Vanguard