RismadarVoice Reporters
September 5, 2026
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of underage candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
Benjamin, however, clarified that the release of the results does not automatically qualify the candidates for admission.
He said only candidates who meet the board’s strict requirements for exceptional consideration would be eligible for admission.
According to him, an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise is anyone who will be below 16 years old as of September 30, 2026.
He explained that the results were released primarily to enable the candidates, their parents and guardians to know how they performed in the examination.
The results, he added, cannot be used for admission or any other official purpose except for candidates who eventually meet the conditions for exceptional consideration.
Candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same telephone number with which they registered for the UTME.
Benjamin said JAMB had previously made it clear that admission would only be considered for exceptionally performing underage candidates who satisfy all prescribed conditions.
He consequently warned candidates who do not meet the requirements against presenting their UTME results to institutions or individuals in an attempt to secure admission.
Requirements for exceptional admission
The JAMB spokesperson said the exceptional admission process was deliberately rigorous and involved several stages of assessment.
He said candidates seeking consideration must obtain a minimum UTME score of 320, in addition to recording at least 80 per cent in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects, where applicable.
“Such candidates are also required to meet the relevant Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions and undergo the prescribed final assessment by experts,” Benjamin said.
He explained that the procedure was designed to separate genuinely exceptional candidates from those who simply performed well in the UTME.
According to him, the assessment and verification process is still ongoing, and JAMB has yet to conclude the admission procedure for the exceptionally performing underage candidates.
Benjamin said the board could not conclude the exercise until candidates awaiting their National Examinations Council (NECO) results had the opportunity to submit 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,” he said.
He added that JAMB would announce the date for the final assessment after the release of the NECO results.
Benjamin stressed that eligibility for exceptional admission would not be determined solely by UTME performance but through a broader assessment of candidates’ academic ability and maturity.
He also advised parents, guardians and candidates to beware of individuals claiming to have the ability to secure admission for underage candidates outside the official process.
According to him, sitting for the UTME and obtaining a result do not, on their own, guarantee admission, particularly for candidates who have not reached the prescribed admission age.
Benjamin assured the public that the exceptional admission process would remain transparent, rigorous and merit-based.
He reaffirmed JAMB’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that only candidates who meet the established requirements are admitted.
