JAMB TO CONSIDER EXCEPTIONAL UNDER-16 CANDIDATES FOR ADMISSION
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that candidates below the age of 16 may be considered for admission into tertiary institutions if they achieve an outstanding score of 80% or higher in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Given that the UTME is graded out of 400 marks, this translates to a minimum score of 320 for eligibility.
The decision follows the recent reversal of the mandatory 18-year admission age policy introduced by former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman. The current Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has reinstated the previous age requirement of 16, a move that has been widely welcomed by education stakeholders.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, confirmed this development during a recent meeting with key education stakeholders, including Chief External Examiners, Chief Technical Advisors, and members of the Equal Opportunity Group. He emphasised that while the 16-year benchmark remains the standard, candidates under the age limit may be considered under strict conditions if they demonstrate exceptional academic ability.
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 further explained that exceptional students must demonstrate strong academic performance across multiple assessments, including the UTME, West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Post-UTME and General Certificate Examination (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 noted.
The JAMB registrar also raised concerns over the admission of underage students, particularly in private universities, stating that many of these candidates struggle academically. He revealed that as many as 80% of such students eventually transfer 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 (NYSC) programme.
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