The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has begun inviting underage candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to proceed to the next stage of assessment as part of its exceptional candidate policy.
JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday, noting that affected candidates are now being contacted and forwarded to their chosen institutions for further screening.
According to him, the move follows public enquiries over the status of underage candidates whose results were earlier withheld under the board’s admission framework.
“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,” Benjamin said.
In a sample message sent to a candidate and confirmed by the spokesperson, JAMB stated that the applicant had met one of the required benchmarks for consideration under the exceptional admission category.
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 development is part of JAMB’s special policy for exceptionally gifted underage candidates who are below the minimum admission age of 16 years.
Under the policy, only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are eligible for standard admission. However, underage candidates who score a minimum of 320 in UTME and meet at least 80% in subsequent screening assessments may be considered for exceptional admission.
Benjamin explained that, based on prior agreements with parents, only candidates who meet the 320-mark threshold are shortlisted for further evaluation and forwarded to institutions for screening.
He added that results of underage candidates had earlier been withheld pending completion of the process, with many receiving “No Result Yet” notifications.
He further urged stakeholders to remain patient, stressing that the policy is designed to maintain fairness, discipline, and credibility in Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.
The policy, endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Education, aims to ensure that students entering tertiary institutions possess the academic and emotional maturity required for higher learning.