…sets 320 cut-off for underage candidates consideration
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates currently seeing the “No Result Yet” message while checking their 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results are largely underage applicants whose scores have not been released.
In a statement posted on his official X handle, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s spokesperson, said the Board had received numerous inquiries from concerned parents seeking explanations over the status.
He explained that the withholding of results affects candidates who do not meet the stipulated age requirement for the examination.
“Please be informed that results for underage candidates have not been released. When such candidates attempt to check their results, the system will return the message ‘No Result Yet,’” Benjamin stated.
According to him, JAMB regulations require candidates to be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to be eligible to register for and sit the UTME.
He, however, noted that exceptions exist for exceptionally gifted candidates, but only under strict conditions.
“Underage candidates may be considered under the exceptional category, provided they demonstrate outstanding ability by scoring 320 and above in the UTME and attaining at least 80 per cent in subsequent screening stages,” he said.
Benjamin added that the decision to set the benchmark at 320 was part of an agreement reached with, and endorsed by, parents of the affected candidates.
He further explained that only those who meet the high score threshold would be shortlisted and invited to proceed to the next phase of assessment.
“Successful candidates at that stage may then be considered for admission under the exceptional candidates provision,” he added.
The Board emphasized that, for now, results of all underage candidates remain withheld pending the outcome of this process.
JAMB urged parents and candidates to remain patient, assuring that further updates would be communicated through its official channels.
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