UTME: Only 108 of 39,000 underage candidates scale FG’s admission hurdles

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja Only 108 out of about 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have survived the Federal Government’s rigorous screening for possible admission into tertiary institutions, underscoring the high academic and maturity standards imposed on exceptionally young applicants. The candidates emerged after a stringent selection process that required applicants to demonstrate outstanding academic performance and psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education. Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six best-performing underage candidates in the 2026 UTME, presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof.

Alausa said the outcome followed a multi-stage screening exercise designed to ensure that admission opportunities for exceptionally gifted children would not come at the expense of their preparedness for the demands of higher education. According to him, 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 eventually sat the examination. Of these, approximately 39,000 were below the prescribed minimum admission age of 16 years.

The minister explained that candidates seeking exemption from the age requirement had to meet a series of demanding conditions, beginning with a minimum UTME score of 320 out of 400, representing 80 per cent. They were also required to score at least 80 per cent in their post-UTME examinations, attain the stipulated 80 per cent threshold in the assessment of their O-level results and pass a screening exercise to establish their psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education. Alausa disclosed that only 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME, with further assessments reducing the number eligible for possible admission to just 108.

He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, noting that they represented approximately 0.005 per cent of the candidates who sat the examination. “You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the students, stressing that the government had a responsibility to identify exceptional talents and nurture them into innovators capable of developing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges and those of … By Joseph Erunke, Abuja Only 108 of about 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have met the Federal Government’s screening requirements for possible admission into tertiary institutions.

The candidates emerged from a multi-stage assessment designed to determine whether exceptionally young applicants possess the academic ability and psychological, emotional and intellectual maturity required for university education. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six other top-performing underage candidates in the 2026 UTME, presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina. Alausa said the screening process was intended to ensure that opportunities for exceptionally gifted children did not come at the expense of their preparedness for higher education.

Approximately 39,000 of those who sat the examination were below the prescribed minimum admission age of 16. “You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the candidates, stressing that the government had a responsibility to identify exceptional talents and nurture them into innovators capable of developing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges and those of the wider world. Alausa said the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to frustrate academically gifted children or deny them opportun…