JAMB has released the UTME and final results of 85 underage candidates who successfully passed the screening process set for the consideration of exceptional students. The number stems from an initial 41,027 candidates who fell under this special category in the UTME 2025: candidates under the age of 16 who scored at least 320.

In a press statement released on Monday, signed by the board’s head of media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB noted that the 85 candidates emerged following a series of meticulous evaluations. Following this confirmation, the candidates are now cleared for admission in the respective choice of institution.

“All the candidates have been notified to proceed to their respective institutions to complete the admission process and print their individual JAMB admission letters. This policy of exceptional admission is consistent with global best practices, where such cases are treated as rare exceptions rather than the norm,” part of the statement reads. 

Providing more explanation, Fabian said that out of the 2,031,133 candidates under the UTME 2025, a total of 41,027 candidates sought consideration under the special category. After the UTME 2025 result was released, only 599 students scored the 80% (320) threshold in the UTME.

Furthermore, the 599 candidates were subjected to further scrutiny of school certificates and PUTME screening, leading to the emergence of 182 candidates (178+4). According to JAMB, only 85 candidates met the criteria following verification, interviews, and screening.

During the screening process, there were issues relating to the absence of candidates for the final screening. However, the board noted that any of the 182 candidates who missed the final assessment can lodge a request.

It noted that the complaints will be individually reviewed and decisions will be made based on merit. 

“Any of the 182 finalist-candidates who with valid reason missed the final interview can submit a formal request through the JAMB Support Ticketing System- https://support.jamb.gov.ng under the newly created category titled: ‘2025 Underage Complaint. ”

“This window is also exclusively for only the 182 finalists who might for one reason or the other missed the final interview,” Fabian said. 

The board also noted that candidates who scored 320 and above in UTME but failed to upload their O-Level results and were subsequently disqualified from proceeding are now given a chance to upload within two (2) days, not later than Wednesday, 29 October. They are also to notify the board of their upload through its ticketing platform.

Also Read: UTME 2025: How students manipulated the JAMB system to commit high-tech malpractices.

How the screening process went 

Under the special consideration in the UTME 2025, there were criteria laid down for exceptional candidates (under age 16 as of September 2025) to be considered for admission.

• Candidates register as exceptional minors and must fill out an indemnity form at their CBT centre. 

• A minimum of 320 UTME score out of 400 (80%).
• A minimum of 80% in a single sitting of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or National Examinations Council (NECO).
• An 80% minimum score on the post-UTME screening conducted by their chosen institution.
• Science candidates must have a high score in Mathematics, while Arts candidates must excel in English Language.

The screening process

The special screening process for the 2025/2026 session involved three phases. 

Phase 1: Out of 41,027 underage candidates, only 599 who scored 80% or higher in the UTME met the initial academic qualifications for further screening.

Phase 2: The university’s post-UTME screening results are sent to JAMB for verification. A candidate who missed their university’s internal screening was disqualified from the process.

Phase 3: After verifying academic records, 182 candidates were shortlisted for a final assessment conducted by a special technical committee set up by JAMB. This phase included subject-specific tests, a face-to-face oral interview and verification of O’Level results directly with WAEC and NECO.

Following this rigorous process, 85 candidates were found to have met all criteria and were cleared for admission.