JAMB clears under-16 whiz kids, for 2025 UTME, says Oloyede

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that candidates under the age of 16 may be considered for admission into tertiary institutions if they demonstrate exceptional academic ability by scoring 80% or higher in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). With the total UTME score being 400 marks, an 80% score would equate to a minimum of 320 marks.
This change follows the recent reversal of the mandatory 18-year admission age requirement, which was introduced by the former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman. The current Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has reinstated the previous 16-year minimum age benchmark, a decision that has been widely supported by stakeholders in the education sector.
During a recent meeting with key stakeholders, including Chief External Examiners, Chief Technical Advisors, and members of the Equal Opportunity Group, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, clarified that while the 16-year age requirement remains the standard, exceptionally qualified candidates under 16 could still be granted admission under strict conditions.
A transcript of the meeting, published in JAMB’s bulletin, quoted Oloyede as saying: “This is about complying with the law. Age plays a crucial role in maturity and academic development. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have age limits for leadership positions such as local government chairman. Biological age is linked to intellectual growth, and while rules exist, there must be room for exceptions.”
“The Minister of Education has clearly stated that the minimum age for admission remains 16. However, we acknowledge that some gifted children exist. These individuals should not be overlooked. We must identify them and allow them to sit for the exams.”
Oloyede emphasised that exceptional students must demonstrate outstanding academic ability across multiple assessments, including the UTME, WASSCE, Post-UTME, and GCE O/Level.
“If a candidate under 16 scores 200 out of 400 in the UTME, can they truly be considered exceptional? However, if they achieve 80% (320/400), that signals exceptional ability and warrants consideration,” he added.
He, however, expressed concerns over the role of private universities in admitting underage students, stating that many of these candidates struggle academically, with up to 80 per cenr eventually being transferred to other programmes due to poor performance.
Oloyede also condemned the manipulation of birth records by parents seeking early admission for their wards, only to later attempt to alter their ages for eligibility in the National Youth Service Corps programme.
Recently in Lagos, the JAMB Registrar disclosed that the exam body had introduced a mock UTME for underage candidates.
Oloyede explained that the mock UTME is not for the purpose of tertiary institution admission but for underage seeking to test their ability.
“We are starting the sale of forms on the 31st of January till 5th of March. There will be a mock exam on the 23rd of February and on the 8th of March there will be UTME,” the JAMB Registrar said.