JAMB records 4,996 underaged candidates for 2025/2026 UTME

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it has, so far, recorded 4,996 underaged candidates for the 2025/2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

JAMB’s registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Monday after inspecting some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Ilorin, Kwara State.

He expressed concern over the growing number of underaged candidates, saying, “It’s alarming that just five days into the registration period, we already have 4,996 underaged candidates. By the end of today, this number will exceed 5,000. While a few may be exceptions, the majority of these candidates do not meet global standards.”

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He attributed the rise in underaged candidates to the misguided ambitions of some parents, who use their children’s early education to enhance their CVs.

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Oloyede explained that JAMB would conduct additional exams for candidates who claim exceptional circumstances.

These candidates will be required to sign an indemnity form, agreeing to face sanctions if their claims are found to be false, he added.

He noted that, in the past decade, over 70% of underaged candidates never succeeded in their careers.

“Over the last ten years, we’ve tracked underaged candidates, some as young as ten years old, and have seen that about 70% of them fail to build successful careers.”

As of Monday afternoon, Oloyede said 420,674 candidates have registered for the 2025/2026 UTME, with 124,632 candidates having signed up for the mock exam.

He mentioned that the number of candidates who are taking trial tests but not seeking admission stands at 331.

Oloyede further said that six individuals involved in exam malpractice have been permanently banned from participating in any future exams conducted by JAMB.

He also noted that a senior university official is currently being prosecuted for exam-related crimes, while others are under investigation.