The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has clarified its policy on underage candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions, explaining the age requirement, UTME participation and conditions for exceptional admission.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

JAMB made the clarification in a video posted on its X account on Thursday, titled, “5 Frequently Asked Questions About Underage Admission.”

The board said candidates below the age of 16 could still sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination but would be classified as underage.

JAMB described an underage candidate as someone who has not attained the age of 16 by September 30 of the admission year.

📌 Key Details

“An underage candidate is someone less than 16 years on or before 30th of September of an admission year,” the board said.

Explaining the reason for the September 30 cut-off, JAMB said, “This is a policy instituted by the Federal Ministry of Education.”

For the 2026 admission exercise, this means candidates must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to avoid being classified as underage.

The board clarified that being below 16 does not prevent a candidate from participating in the UTME.

“Can someone who is less than 16 participate in the UTME? Yes, but they’ll be regarded as underage,” JAMB said.

However, participation in the examination does not automatically make an underage candidate eligible for admission.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria