JAMB Releases 2026 UTME Results For Underage Candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the release of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results of underage candidates for viewing.

The Board, however, warned that the release of the results does not mean all the affected candidates are qualified for admission.

JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, Naija News reports.

Benjamin explained that an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise is any candidate who will be below 16 years as of September 30, 2026.

He said the results were released mainly to allow candidates, parents and guardians to know how they performed in the examination.

According to him, the results cannot be used to secure admission or for any other official purpose except by candidates who meet JAMB’s conditions for exceptional consideration.

He said candidates could check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same SIM card they used to register for the UTME.

Benjamin said JAMB had earlier made it clear that only exceptionally performing underage candidates who met all the required conditions would be considered for admission.

He warned candidates who failed to meet the requirements against presenting their results to institutions or individuals in an attempt to secure admission.

The spokesperson said the exceptional admission process was rigorous and involved different stages of assessment aimed at identifying underage candidates with outstanding academic ability and maturity.

He said one of the conditions was a minimum UTME score of 320, as well as at least 80 per cent in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects, where applicable.

“Such candidates are also required to meet the relevant Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions and undergo the prescribed final assessment by experts,” he said.

Benjamin said the process was designed to separate genuinely exceptional underage candidates from those who simply recorded good scores in the UTME.

He disclosed that the assessment process was still ongoing, noting that all the required stages had not been completed.

According to him, JAMB would have to wait for the release of the National Examinations Council (NECO) results before completing the process, since candidates awaiting the results must be allowed to present them for verification.

“The NECO results are yet to be released, and the Board would therefore await their release before proceeding to the final stage of the assessment process,” he said.

Benjamin said JAMB would announce the date for the final assessment once the NECO results were released.

He stressed that admission for underage candidates would not be based solely on their UTME scores, but on a full assessment of whether they met all the conditions set by the Board.

The spokesperson also warned parents, guardians, candidates and members of the public against individuals claiming they could secure admission for underage candidates outside the official process.

He reiterated that sitting for the UTME and having a result did not automatically guarantee admission, especially for candidates who had not reached the required admission age.

Benjamin assured the public that the assessment process would remain transparent, strict and based on merit.

He added that JAMB remained committed to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that only candidates who met the established requirements were admitted.