By Mary Onyia
Only 108 candidates under the age of 16, out of about 39,000 who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), have met the Federal Government’s stringent requirements for possible admission to Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring UTME candidates and six outstanding underage candidates presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina. He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted and deserving of recognition.
Alausa said candidates seeking admission before the minimum age of 16 had to score at least 320 out of 400 on the UTME, representing 80 percent. They were also required to score at least 80 percent on their post-UTME examinations and meet the prescribed threshold in their O’Level results, in addition to passing assessments of their psychological, emotional, and intellectual readiness for university education.
He explained that although 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 on the UTME, further screening reduced the number who met all the requirements to 108. The minister stressed that the age restriction was not intended to frustrate gifted children but to ensure they possessed the maturity needed to cope with the demands of higher education.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” Alausa told the candidates, urging them to use their abilities to develop innovations and solutions to challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world. The announcement qualifies the 108 candidates for consideration for admission; it does not mean they have all secured admission to tertiary institutions.