JAMB Sets 320 UTME Score, 80% SSCE Mark For Underage Admission

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has sets 320 UTME score and 80 per cent SSCE mark for underage admission into universities.

The board stated this when it released the results of underage candidates who participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for viewing.

The Board also disclosed that the admission process for exceptionally performing underage candidates is still ongoing and will be concluded after all stages of assessment and verification have been completed.
In a statement released yesterday, the acting director, Public Affairs and Protocols, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said underage candidates were those who would be below the age of 16 years as at the end of this month.

He stressed that the release of the results does not automatically qualify the candidates for admission.
Benjamin also said the results were released primarily to enable candidates and their parents or guardians to know their performance in the examination, but warned that the results could not be used for admission or any other official purpose except by candidates who met the stringent conditions for exceptional consideration.

“For clarity, an underage candidate, for the purpose of the 2026 admission exercise, is any candidate who will be less than 16 years old as at 30 September 2026.

“The release of the results for viewing does not confer eligibility for admission on all underage candidates, as admission into tertiary institutions remains subject to the conditions stipulated by the Board and other relevant regulatory requirements,” he added.

According to him, underage candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same SIM card with which they used to register for the UTME.

The Board had earlier stipulated that only exceptionally performing underage candidates who satisfied the prescribed conditions would be considered for admission.

Benjamin, however, said such candidates must obtain a minimum UTME score of 320, in addition to attaining at least 80 per cent in the relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects, where applicable.

He explained that candidates would also be required to satisfy the Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions and undergo a prescribed final assessment by experts.

“The exceptional admission process is deliberately rigorous and involves multiple stages of assessment to ensure that only candidates who demonstrate the required academic maturity and exceptional ability are considered,” he said.

He stressed that the process was designed to distinguish genuinely exceptional underage candidates from those who might have merely performed well in the UTME.

The Board therefore advised candidates who do not meet the requirements for exceptional consideration not to present their viewed results to tertiary institutions or individuals in an attempt to secure admission.

According to the Board, it would be unreasonable to conclude the process without giving candidates awaiting the release of their National Examinations Council (NECO) results the opportunity to present their results 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.

He added that JAMB would fix and announce a date for the final stage of the assessment as soon as the NECO results were released.

JAMB also urged parents, guardians, candidates and members of the public to be wary of individuals who might claim to have the capacity to secure admission for underage candidates outside the approved process.