The Federal Government said only 108 out of approximately 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have met the 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 UTME candidates and six outstanding underage candidates presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina.
Alausa said 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 sat the examination. Approximately 39,000 of those who took the examination were below the minimum admission age of 16.
He explained that underage candidates seeking exemption from the age requirement had to meet stringent academic and maturity criteria, including scoring at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME and a minimum of 80 per cent in their post-UTME examinations.
JAMB had also stipulated that candidates must attain at least 80 per cent in their O’Level results, equivalent to 24 points out of 30, in a single sitting.
Combining WAEC and NECO results is not permitted, while candidates must meet the subject requirements for their intended courses.
Those who satisfy the initial benchmarks undergo further assessment by the National Committee on Underage Admission, which evaluates their psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education outside the standard Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
According to Alausa, only 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME, with further assessments narrowing the number that met the requirements to 108.
He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, representing approximately 0.005 per cent of those who sat the examination.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the students, urging them to use their abilities to develop innovations and solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
Alausa said the minimum admission age policy was not intended to deny gifted children educational opportunities but to ensure that younger candidates possessed the maturity required for higher education.
He added that officials were impressed by the candidates’ confidence, intellectual ability and responses during the screening exercise.
The minister urged the successful candidates to see their education as an opportunity to contribute to national development and congratulated them on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Among those recognised were Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, who scored 372, and Enwere Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370. All eight candidates received plaques and certificates from the minister.
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