The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced strict new procedures for screening underage candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session, insisting that the minimum entry age of 16 years must be respected.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this during a virtual meeting with vice chancellors and heads of admissions in Abuja, said the board would no longer tolerate what he described as the academic abuse of subjecting psychologically and emotionally immature children to the pressures of university life.
While reaffirming that 16 remains the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions, the JAMB boss stated that only in exceptional cases of academic brilliance would underage candidates be considered for admission.
To qualify for such rare consideration, Oloyede explained, candidates under the age of 16 must satisfy three academic criteria: a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400, a post-UTME score of at least 80 percent, and a minimum of 80 percent in a single sitting of either WAEC or NECO, which amounts to 24 points out of a possible 30.
He added that combinations of results from two different examination bodies — such as mixing WAEC and NECO — would not be accepted. Furthermore, science candidates must have mathematics among their top subjects, while arts students must have English.
Professor Oloyede revealed that four universities had officially informed JAMB that they would not admit any underage candidates, regardless of academic performance. The institutions are the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; University of Jos; and Osun State University.
The JAMB registrar called on all tertiary institutions to uphold these standards and support efforts aimed at maintaining academic and emotional maturity among university students.