The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results of underage candidates for viewing, stressing that the release does not automatically make them eligible for admission.
The board said only exceptionally performing underage candidates who meet its stringent requirements would be considered for admission in the 2026 academic session.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin.
Benjamin said an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise was any candidate who would be below 16 years old as of September 30, 2026.
He explained that the results were released primarily to enable candidates, their parents and guardians to know their performance in the examination.
According to him, the results cannot be used for admission or any other official purpose, except for candidates who satisfy the requirements for exceptional consideration.
Candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same SIM card with which they registered for the UTME.
Benjamin said JAMB had earlier established that only exceptionally performing underage candidates who met the prescribed conditions would be considered for admission.
He advised candidates who did not meet the requirements for exceptional consideration not to present their results to any institution or individual for the purpose of securing admission.
The spokesperson said the exceptional admission process was deliberately rigorous and involved multiple stages of assessment to ensure that only candidates who demonstrated the required academic maturity and exceptional ability were considered.
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He said one of the requirements was a minimum UTME score of 320, alongside a minimum of 80 per cent in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination 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,” he said.
He said the admission process for exceptionally performing underage candidates was still ongoing, as all stages of assessment and verification had not been concluded.
According to him, it would be unreasonable to conclude the process without allowing candidates awaiting their National Examinations Council, NECO, results to present 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.
Benjamin said JAMB would fix and announce a date for the final stage of the assessment of exceptionally performing underage candidates as soon as the NECO results were released.
The spokesperson urged parents, guardians, candidates and members of the public to exercise caution and avoid patronizing individuals who claimed to have the capacity to secure admission for underage candidates outside the prescribed process.
He reiterated that participation in the UTME and the release of a candidate’s result did not, in themselves, guarantee admission, particularly for candidates who had not attained the prescribed admission age.
Benjamin assured the public that the process for exceptionally performing underage candidates would remain transparent, rigorous and merit-based.
He also reaffirmed the board’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that only candidates who satisfied the established requirements were admitted.
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