JAMB has released 2026 UTME Results for underage candidates and set strict admission conditions.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results of underage candidates for viewing.
JAMB, however, clarified that the release of the results does not automatically make the affected candidates eligible for admission into tertiary institutions.
The Board’s spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
According to him, an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise is anyone who will be below 16 years of age as of September 30, 2026.
Benjamin explained that the results were released primarily to allow the candidates and their parents or guardians to see their performance in the examination.
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He stressed that the results could not be used for admission or any other official purpose unless the candidate satisfied the conditions established for exceptionally performing underage applicants.
Candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same telephone number used during their UTME registration.
JAMB said its exceptional admission process was deliberately rigorous and involved several stages of academic assessment and verification.
To be considered, an underage candidate must score at least 320 in the UTME and obtain a minimum of 80 per cent in the relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination subjects, where applicable.
The candidate must also meet the Post-UTME requirements of the chosen institution and undergo a final assessment conducted by experts.
Benjamin said the conditions were designed to distinguish candidates with exceptional academic ability and maturity from those who merely recorded strong UTME scores.
The Board advised underage candidates who failed to meet the requirements not to present their results to any institution or individual in an attempt to secure admission.
It added that the admission process for exceptionally performing underage candidates was still ongoing because some stages of assessment and verification had yet to be completed.
According to JAMB, concluding the process without allowing candidates awaiting their National Examinations Council results to submit them for verification would be unfair.
“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 announce a date for the final assessment of exceptionally performing underage candidates once the NECO results became available.
The examination body also warned parents, guardians and candidates against dealing with individuals who claimed they could secure admission for underage applicants outside the approved process.
It reiterated that sitting for the UTME and receiving a result did not guarantee admission, particularly for candidates who had not attained the prescribed admission age.
JAMB assured the public that the exceptional admission process would remain transparent, rigorous and based on merit as it works to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary admission system.
