The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) reports that 41,027 candidates below the age of 16 have registered for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination—a total candidate pool of 2.03 million.
Real-time dashboard data also shows 62 incidents of malpractice recorded within the first days of testing.
Following Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa’s reinstatement of 16 as the minimum admission age, JAMB clarified that underage candidates must score at least 320 out of 400 (80%) to qualify for admission under exceptional academic merit.
This policy reverses the previous 18-year benchmark introduced by former Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman and has drawn support from educators nationwide.
Addressing stakeholders—including Chief External Examiners and the Equal Opportunity Group—Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede emphasized that while 16 remains the standard, JAMB will apply rigorous screening for gifted minors.
Meanwhile, Alausa announced deadlines for WAEC and NECO to migrate to computer-based testing: objective sections by November 2025, and full CBT—including essays—by May/June 2026, to further curb examination fraud.
Over 41,000 Under-16s Sit 2025 UTME as JAMB Flags Early Malpractice
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