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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced screening of underage candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The board is also inviting the candidates to proceed to the next stage of assessment at their chosen institutions. JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday responding to public enquiries.
“The Board has sent messages to underage candidates who scored 320 and above. They will be invited to the next level of assessment by their institution of choice,” he said.
Benjamin confirmed that messages were sent to candidates, and the board said the qualified underage candidate’s details had been forwarded to the chosen institution for admission processing.
The message read, “JAMB hereby notifies you that you have crossed the 80% threshold in the UTME, which is one of the four categories for consideration.
“As a result, your details have been forwarded to your institution of choice, which will contact you for screening and return the result to the Board. You can contact your chosen institution regarding this. Kindly ensure that you upload your O-level results to the JAMB portal.”
The new development implements JAMB’s exceptional candidate policy for highly gifted underage applicants who are below the minimum admission age of 16 years.
Though the board had earlier withheld the results of underage candidates, with affected candidates receiving “No Result Yet” notifications. JAMB spokesperson, in a statement last week, explained that only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are eligible to sit for the UTME, stressing that any exception falls under the board’s special or exceptional candidate policy.
Under the provision, underage candidates are required to exhibit exceptional academic ability by scoring at least 320 in the UTME and getting at least 80 percent in subsequent screening processes to be considered for admission.
Furthermore, he stated that, under prior agreements with parents, only candidates who meet the 320-mark benchmark will be shortlisted and invited to further assessments, effectively narrowing the pathway to exceptional consideration.
Benjamin stated that until the screening process is complete, results of underage candidates will remain unreleased, urging stakeholders to remain patient as the board enforces standards targeted at preserving the integrity of Nigeria’s admission system. The Nigerian Ministry of Education has backed this policy to ensure students are mature enough to handle the stresses of higher education.
