85 Underage Candidates Clear JAMB’s Special Screening, Results Released

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of 85 underage candidates who successfully passed its special screening exercise for exceptional admissions.

In a statement issued on Monday by JAMB spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board explained that the cleared candidates were all below 16 years as of September 2025. Out of 182 finalists, 85 were found qualified to proceed with admission into their chosen institutions and have been directed to print their JAMB admission letters.

According to Benjamin, this exceptional admission policy aligns with global best practices, where outstanding cases are handled as special exceptions rather than the norm.

He revealed that in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 41,027 of the 2,031,133 total candidates applied under the underage category. Of these, 599 scored at least 80 percent in the UTME and were subjected to further verification, including school certificate checks and post-UTME screening. After a thorough process, 182 candidates advanced to the final stage, from which 85 were cleared.

The Board advised any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview to submit a formal request via the JAMB Support Ticketing System under the new “2025 Underage Complaint” category. Each case, it said, would be assessed individually on merit.

Additionally, JAMB granted a two-day grace, until Wednesday, October 29, for candidates who scored 320 and above but failed to upload their O-Level results. They are required to update their results and notify the Board through the same ticketing system.

Reiterating its commitment to fairness and transparency, JAMB urged all affected candidates to complete their complaints and uploads within the stipulated timeframe.

Meanwhile, the Board recently disclosed widespread examination malpractices during the 2025 UTME. Findings from its Special Committee on Examination Infractions revealed over 4,200 cases of biometric manipulation, 190 instances of AI-assisted impersonation, and nearly 1,900 false disability claims. The committee also uncovered several cases of document forgery, multiple NIN registrations, and collusion between candidates and exam syndicates.