BY VICTOR BUORO – The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results of underage candidates for viewing, but warned that there is no automatic admission for them in the Nigerian Universities.
According to the examination body, releasing the results does not confer admission eligibility on all underage candidates, as only those who meet its stringent requirements for exceptional consideration would be admitted.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, who explained that an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise was candidate who would be less than 16 years old as at September 30, 2026.
Dr Benjamin said the results were released primarily to enable candidates and their parents or guardians to know their performance in the examination.
He said such results cannot be used for admission or any other official purpose, except in respect of candidates who satisfy the requirements prescribed for exceptionally performing underage candidates.
The JAMB Spokesman said candidates could check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same SIM card with which they registered for the UTME.
He further said the Board had earlier established that only exceptionally performing underage candidates who satisfied the prescribed conditions would be considered for admission.
While advising candidates who did not meet the requirements for exceptional consideration not to present their results to any institution or individual for the purpose of securing admission, Dr Benjamin said the exceptional admission process was deliberately rigorous and involved multiple stages of assessment to ensure that only candidates who demonstrated the required academic maturity and exceptional ability were considered.
Importantly, he said one key requirement for consideration is a minimum UTME score of 320, alongside a minimum of 80 per cent performance in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects, where applicable.
He said: “Such candidates are also required to meet the relevant Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions and undergo the prescribed final assessment by experts”, adding that the process was designed to distinguish genuinely exceptional underage candidates from those who might have merely performed well in the UTME.
The JAMB Image Maker also said the admission process for exceptionally performing underage candidates was still ongoing, adding that all necessary stages of assessment and verification had not been concluded.
He said it will be unreasonable to conclude the process without allowing candidates awaiting their National Examinations Council (NECO) results to present them for verification.
“The NECO results are yet to be released, and the Board would therefore await their release before proceeding to the final stage of the assessment process,” Benjamin said, adding that as soon as the NECO results were released, the Board would fix and announce a date for the final stage of the assessment of the exceptionally performing underage candidates.
Also stressing that the ongoing process was not merely based on UTME performance but involved a comprehensive assessment to ensure that only candidates who genuinely satisfied all the prescribed requirements were considered for admission, the spokesperson urged parents, guardians, candidates and members of the public to exercise caution and avoid patronising individuals who claimed to have the capacity to secure admission for underage candidates outside the prescribed process.
He said participation in the UTME and the release of a candidate’s result did not, in themselves, guarantee admission, particularly for candidates who had not attained the prescribed admission age.
The JAMB Spokesman, who assured the public that the process for exceptionally performing underage candidates would remain transparent, rigorous and merit-based, said the Board remains committed to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring only candidates who satisfied the established requirements are given admission.
