UTME: 108 OUT OF 39,000 UNDERAGE CANDIDATES SCALES FG’S ADMISSION HURDLES
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Only 108 out of approximately 39,000 young candidates who took the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) passed the Federal Government’s strict screening process for admission into higher education institutions, showing how high the academic and maturity requirements are for very young applicants.
The candidates emerged after a stringent selection process that required applicants to demonstrate outstanding academic performance and psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, shared this information on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting with the two top scorers and six best–performing underage students from the 2026 UTME examination.The event was organized by Prof.Segun Aina, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Alausa explained that the results came from a thorough process aimed at making sure that children with exceptional talent could still be ready for the challenges of university life.
He mentioned that over 2.2 million people registered for the 2026 UTME, but only about 2.17 million actually took the exam.
Out of these, around 39,000 were under the minimum age of 16 to be admitted.
To get an exemption from the age rule, students had to meet several strict conditions. They needed a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400, which is 80 percent.
They also had to score at least 80 percent in their post–UTME tests, meet the 80 percent mark in their O–level results, and pass a screening to check their mental, emotional, and intellectual readiness for university.
Alausa said only 391 underage students reached the 320 UTME score. After more tests, only 108 were considered eligible for admission.
He called these students exceptionally talented, noting that they made up about 0.005 percent of those who took the exam.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the students, stressing that the government had a responsibility to identify exceptional talents and nurture them into innovators capable of developing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges and those of the wider world.
The minister said the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to frustrate academically gifted children or deny them opportunities to advance, but to ensure that those admitted at a younger age possessed the maturity required to cope with university life.
He said the screening exercise had yielded encouraging feedback, particularly regarding the candidates’ confidence, intellectual ability and responses to questions designed to assess their preparedness for higher education.
According to him, exceptional academic performance alone cannot be the sole basis for admitting children into tertiary institutions, as university education also demands emotional stability and the capacity to navigate its social and intellectual challenges.
Alausa urged the successful candidates to see their academic abilities as a responsibility to society, rather than merely an opportunity to secure early admission and personal advancement.
“You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations,” he said.
The minister linked the recognition of exceptional young talents to the country’s broader development prospects, arguing that Nigeria’s youthful population represented a major resource that must be properly educated and harnessed.
He put Nigeria’s population at an estimated 220 million, with an average age of 18.5 years, adding that about 70 per cent of the population was below 30.
Alausa said the Federal Government’s education reforms were designed to expand opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthen the country’s capacity to turn their potential into innovations and solutions that could improve lives.
He congratulated the candidates on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education, expressing confidence that their abilities could translate into breakthroughs capable of benefiting millions of people.
The eight recognised candidates, including the two highest scorers in the 2026 UTME, received plaques and certificates from the minister.
Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin emerged as the highest-scoring candidate with 372 marks, while Enwere Kingsley Ikenna followed with 370.
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