Minister says 108 of 39,000 underage UTME candidates scale screening for admission

Only 108 out of approximately 39,000 underage candidates who took the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have successfully cleared the Federal Government’s rigorous screening exercise for tertiary admission, representing a tiny 0.005 per cent pass rate among younger applicants.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the figures on Wednesday in Abuja during a formal reception hosted to honor the country’s top-performing candidate, Daniella Owoeye, along with seven other exceptionally gifted underage applicants presented by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The Minister clarified that the policy enforcing a minimum entry age of 16 was designed to protect young learners rather than impede academic talent, noting that higher education demands psychological and social maturity alongside raw academic score lines.

Strict multi-stage evaluation for young learners

Out of more than 2.1 million candidates who wrote the 2026 matriculation assessment, about 39,000 were below the mandatory age threshold of 16 years.

While 391 underage applicants managed to score 320 marks or higher out of 400, a comprehensive federal screening evaluated emotional stability, cognitive readiness, and social maturity, ultimately pruning the eligible pool down to just 108 candidates.

Addressing the successful candidates and their parents at the ministry’s headquarters, Alausa emphasized that university life places severe pressures on young minds.

“You are the geniuses in our society,” Alausa told the young scholars. “You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations. The multi-stage screening exercise was designed to ensure that opportunities for exceptionally gifted children to gain admission did not come at the expense of their preparedness for the demands of higher education.”

“Exceptional academic performance alone cannot determine admission into tertiary institutions,” Alausa added. “University education also demands emotional stability and the ability to navigate social and intellectual challenges. The minimum admission age of 16 is not intended to frustrate academically gifted children or deny them opportunities to advance, but to ensure that younger candidates possess the maturity required to cope with university life.”

Top performers honored

During the reception, the Education Ministry awarded certificates and commemorative plaques to eight top-performing young Nigerians.

Daniella Owoeye emerged as the highest scorer nationwide in the 2026 UTME with an impressive score of 372 marks out of 400, followed closely by Enwere Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370 marks.

The Minister linked the recognition of young academic talents to Nigeria’s demographic advantage, noting that with a population of 220 million and an average age of 18.5 years, youth development remains critical to national growth.

The Federal Government reaffirmed that while strict enforcement of age standards will continue across public and private tertiary institutions, clear pathways will remain open for extraordinary talents who prove their holistic readiness for higher education.