The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates below the age of 16 are permitted to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), but sitting the exam does not automatically make them eligible for admission. The board emphasized that underage candidates face strict conditions before they can be considered for placement in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
JAMB made this clear in a video published on its official X account on Thursday, August 20, 2026, under its "JAMB Explained" series, titled "5 Frequently Asked Questions About Underage Admission." The video addresses common misconceptions about underage candidates and the admission process.
Definition of an Underage Candidate
In the X video, JAMB defined an underage candidate as anyone who has not turned 16 on or before September 30 of the admission year. The board said the September 30 cut-off was set by the Federal Ministry of Education, not by JAMB itself. For the 2026 admission cycle, any candidate who will not be 16 by September 30, 2026, falls into the underage category.
"An underage candidate is someone less than 16 years on or before 30th of September of an admission year," the board said in the video. This definition applies uniformly across all institutions and programmes for the 2026 admission cycle.
Conditions Underage Candidates Must Meet
While underage candidates may participate in the UTME without any restriction, JAMB said they are not ordinarily considered for admission unless they qualify as exceptional candidates. To meet that threshold, an underage candidate must score at least 80 percent across the UTME, post-UTME, and O-level screening combined.
"An underage candidate must score 80 per cent in UTME, post-UTME and O-level screening to be eligible for admission," JAMB stated. Even after clearing that bar, the board warned that admission is not automatic. The final decision rests entirely with the institution the candidate applied to.
"Please note that your admission is solely dependent on the choice of your institution," the board said. This means that even if an underage candidate meets the 80 percent threshold, the institution retains the right to reject the application based on its own policies.
Implications for 2026 Candidates
The clarification is especially important for candidates who will not yet be 16 by the end of September 2026. Such candidates can write the UTME without any restriction, but they must understand that a good UTME score alone will not secure them a place in any Nigerian tertiary institution. The board urged parents and guardians to ensure their wards understand these conditions before registering for the exam.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that for candidates who scored between 140 and 180 in the UTME, several programmes remain available across science, arts and commercial disciplines. The candidates may only have to make compromises on institutions of choice or preferred courses of study. JAMB's latest clarification reinforces that underage candidates face additional hurdles beyond standard UTME performance.
