The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the results of 85 underage candidates who successfully passed its comprehensive screening for exceptional admission.
According to a statement issued on Monday by JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the 85 cleared candidates were among 182 finalists screened by the Board. All successful candidates have been directed to proceed with their respective institutions to complete admission formalities and print their admission letters.
Dr. Benjamin explained that the underage candidates were all below 16 years as of September 2025, and their clearance followed a meticulous evaluation process.
“This policy of exceptional admission is consistent with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm,” the statement read.
He revealed that of the 2,031,133 applicants who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a total of 41,027 candidates sought consideration under the special category. Out of these, 599 candidates met the 80% threshold and were subjected to further scrutiny of school certificates and Post-UTME results, resulting in 182 finalists. After interviews and verification, 85 were deemed qualified and cleared for admission.
JAMB advised any of the remaining 182 underage finalists who missed the final interview for valid reasons to submit a formal request via the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the category “2025 Underage Complaint.” Each case, the Board noted, would be reviewed strictly on merit.
In a related development, JAMB extended a grace period to candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2025 UTME but were disqualified for not uploading their O’Level results. Such candidates have until Wednesday, October 29, 2025, to upload the required documents and notify the Board through its ticketing platform.
Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and fairness, JAMB urged all affected candidates to comply within the stipulated timeframe.
Meanwhile, the Board recently uncovered widespread examination malpractices during the 2025 UTME. Findings by its Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI) exposed 4,251 cases of “finger blending”—a biometric manipulation technique used to bypass fingerprint verification.
The committee, chaired by Dr. Jake Epelle, also identified 190 cases of Artificial Intelligence–assisted impersonation using image morphing technology, as well as 1,878 false disability claims, forged documents, multiple NIN registrations, and collusion with examination syndicates.
JAMB reiterated that it will continue to strengthen its security systems to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary admission process.
