The Federal Government has said only 108 of about 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have met the requirements for consideration for admission into tertiary institutions.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday, October 21, in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates in the examination and six outstanding underage candidates presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina.

According to the minister, 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 sat the examination. Approximately 39,000 candidates were below the minimum admission age of 16.

Alausa explained that candidates seeking consideration for admission below the prescribed age had to meet strict academic requirements and demonstrate the maturity needed for university education.

The criteria included scoring at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME, representing 80 per cent, obtaining a minimum of 80 per cent in their post-UTME examinations and meeting the prescribed threshold for their O'Level results.

Candidates also underwent further assessments to determine their psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for higher education.

Alausa said only 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME. Further assessments reduced the number who met the requirements to 108.

He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, noting that they represented approximately 0.005 per cent of all candidates who sat the examination.

“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the students, urging them to channel their abilities towards developing innovations and solutions to Nigeria's challenges.

He explained that the minimum admission age policy was not intended to deny gifted children opportunities to advance academically but to ensure that younger candidates possessed the maturity required to cope with university education.

The minister said the screening exercise had produced encouraging feedback about the candidates' confidence, intellectual abilities and responses during the assessment.

He stressed that strong examination results alone were not sufficient to establish a candidate's readiness for tertiary education, adding that emotional maturity and the ability to handle the demands of university life were also important considerations.

Alausa urged the successful candidates to regard their abilities as an opportunity to contribute to national development rather than merely a means of securing early admission.

He congratulated the students on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education, expressing confidence that their talents could help produce solutions to challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.

Among those recognised were Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, who scored 372 in the 2026 UTME, and Enwere Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370. All eight recognised candidates received plaques and certificates from the minister.

The minister's announcement highlights the Federal Government's position that exceptional academic performance must be accompanied by evidence of readiness for higher education before candidates below the minimum admission age can be considered for admission.