Only 108 out of about 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, have met the Federal Government’s screening requirements for possible admission into tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six other top-performing underage candidates presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Segun Aina.
Alausa said the screening was designed to determine whether exceptionally young candidates possessed the academic ability and psychological, emotional and intellectual maturity required for university education.
He explained that of the 2,174,396 candidates who sat the 2026 UTME, about 39,000 were below the minimum admission age of 16.
According to the minister, candidates seeking exemption from the age requirement were required to score at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME, representing 80 per cent, and meet similar performance thresholds in their post-UTME examinations and assessment of O’level results.
They were also required to pass a screening exercise to establish their readiness for higher education.
Alausa disclosed that only 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME, with further assessments reducing the number that met all requirements to 108.
He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, adding that the government was committed to identifying and nurturing young talents capable of developing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
The minister stressed that the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to frustrate gifted children but to ensure that those admitted early possessed the maturity to cope with university life.
