The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that exceptionally smart students under the age of 16 can now take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB’s registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, shared this information during an interview on Inside Sources, a news programme on Channels TV.
Previously, the government had planned to set the minimum university entry age at 18 but later reduced it to 16. However, JAMB has now introduced an “Exceptionally Brilliant Window” for students younger than 16 who are exceptionally intelligent.
Oloyede mentioned that many gifted students exist, but they are rare. He also pointed out that some parents are using fake documents to change their children’s ages so they can enter university early.
He warned that normal children cannot develop faster than their biological age.
He revealed that since the announcement, over 2,000 students under 16—including some as young as 10, 11, and 12—have already registered.
To support these young candidates, JAMB has introduced a special trial mock exam starting in 2025.
