Post-UTME: JAMB Extends Deadline for 23 Varsities with Underage Candidates
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for universities to submit the Post-UTME screening scores of underage candidates who participated in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, announced the extension in a statement on Thursday, explaining that the decision was reached in collaboration with the affected institutions. According to him, reminders have already been sent via email to defaulting universities.
Despite the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the National Examinations Council (NECO) on September 17, many institutions have yet to forward the scores of their underage candidates.
Benjamin revealed that 23 out of 71 universities failed to meet the earlier September 15 deadline, even though the candidates had chosen them as their first choice of study.
He directed public universities to upload their recommended candidates to the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) by September 30, while private universities have until October 31. The overall admission deadlines remain October 30 for public universities and November 30 for private institutions.
A breakdown of the affected institutions shows that the University of Lagos tops the list with 39 underage candidates, followed by Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, with 18, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with 15.
Other schools include the University of Abuja with 12, the University of Uyo with nine, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri with eight, and the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu with six. In total, 135 underage candidates are involved across the 23 universities.
JAMB had earlier disclosed that it would conduct a special screening for over 500 outstanding underage candidates seeking admission into the 2025/2026 academic session.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the screening would be carried out by a technical committee between September 22 and 26 at designated centres in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri. While 41,027 underage candidates sat for the 2025 UTME, only a little over 500 qualified for the next stage.
This development highlights the delicate intersection between education policy and child protection. Every Nigerian child is entitled to quality education, but such access must align with the child’s age, maturity, and overall well-being.
