The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cleared 85 under-16 candidates for admission into tertiary institutions under its special exceptional-admission policy.

JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement on Monday, said the candidates — all below 16 years as of September 2025 — scaled a rigorous, multi-layered screening process and have been directed to proceed to their institutions to conclude the admission formalities and print their admission letters.

He explained that the special waiver aligns with global practices where outstanding underage cases are treated strictly as rare exceptions.

Benjamin disclosed that 41,027 candidates applied to be considered under the exceptional category in the 2025 UTME cycle, out of the total 2,031,133 applicants. Of these, 599 met the 80 per cent UTME score threshold and were subjected to further review involving SSCE verification and post-UTME screening.

“At the end, 182 scaled through to the final interview phase. After due verification, 85 candidates were adjudged to have met all criteria and have now been cleared for admission,” the statement said.

The Board added that any of the 182 finalists who missed the final interview for genuine reasons should file an appeal through the JAMB Support Ticket under the category “2025 Underage Complaint” for review on merit.

The examination body also gave a 48-hour grace (till Wednesday, October 29) to candidates who scored 320 and above in UTME but were disqualified for failure to upload O-Level results. They are to upload immediately and notify the Board via its ticketing channel.

JAMB restated its commitment to maintaining credibility, transparency and academic integrity in the nation’s admission process while providing limited, merit-based flexibilities where justified.