ABUJA — The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results for underage candidates.
Tripod Times reports that the board forcefully clarified, however, that merely viewing these scores does not confer an automatic right to tertiary admissions.
The directive was made public on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in a national statement issued by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in Abuja.
Under current guidelines, the board classifies an underage candidate as any applicant who will not have turned 16 years old by September 30, 2026.
The “Exceptional” 320 Score Threshold
While thousands of parents and guardians can now check their children’s performance, the administrative body emphasized that the criteria for underage entry remain intentionally stringent.
To protect the systemic structure of higher education, JAMB has set a steep benchmark for underage candidates seeking an exemption:
The Score Cut-off: Only underage candidates who scored an exceptional 320 or above in the UTME are eligible to move forward into the screening pool.
The Next Steps: Dr. Benjamin confirmed that the board has begun dispatching direct notifications to qualified high-scorers, inviting them to subsequent institutional assessments.
O-Level Verification: Final evaluation dates will be fixed as soon as the National Examinations Council (NECO) drops its corresponding secondary school results, ensuring absolute academic compliance.
How to Access Scores and Guard Against Scams For families tracking results.
JAMB clarified that the metrics are available strictly via SMS. Candidates must text the word “RESULT” to either 55019 or 66019 using the identical phone line and SIM card registered during the baseline profile creation.In his closing brief, Dr. Benjamin issued a stark warning to the public against patronizing racketeers and illegal admission syndicates.
The board reiterated that presenting a viewed printout to an institution outside the verified channels is a policy violation. The complete vetting sequence remains fiercely merit-based, transparent, and bound to stringent regulatory conditions.
