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Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has announced that candidates below 16 years old can only be considered for admission if they meet specific exceptions.
The national minimum admissible age is 16, and any candidate below this age by September 2025 will not be considered for admission.
According to Oloyede, exceptions will be made for gifted children who demonstrate exceptional abilities.
To qualify, these candidates must score at least 80% in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which translates to a score of 320 out of 400.
Their exceptional abilities must also be evident in other exams, such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, post-UTME, or General Certificate of Education O Level.
Oloyede emphasized that JAMB is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that candidates meet the minimum age requirement.
He also expressed concerns about private universities encouraging underage admission, which often results in students being migrated to other programs due to poor performance.
Additionally, Oloyede noted that JAMB is aware of parents altering their children’s ages for admission purposes and later applying for age reduction to enable their wards to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.
