The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that over 700,000 candidates have registered for its upcoming examinations.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this on Friday while inspecting accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Lagos. According to him, the registration process, now in its second week, has recorded significant numbers, including underage applicants.
“As of today, we have registered 779,714 candidates. This is the tenth day of registration,” Oloyede said. “The figure currently stands at 780,202, with 11,512 underage candidates. Today alone, 443 underage candidates were registered.”
JAMB has introduced a policy to accommodate exceptionally gifted underage candidates, allowing them to register despite the existing minimum age requirement of 16 years.
“The policy maintains the 16-year minimum age, as in 2024, but makes exceptions for highly gifted candidates under 16,” Oloyede explained. “These are typically children aged 13 to 14 who exhibit exceptional academic ability.”
While emphasizing that Nigeria has previously misused this concept, he insisted that truly exceptional candidates should not be excluded. “We identify a few such individuals, perhaps 30 to 50 across the country,” he added.
He encouraged underage but gifted students to apply. “If you believe you have something exceptional, you should register,” he stated.
JAMB has also created an avenue for underage and overage individuals who wish to experience the CBT format but are not yet eligible for full admission consideration.
“Underage candidates participating in the CBT are considered applicants, not full candidates,” Oloyede clarified. “Only those who are 16 and above are regarded as actual candidates.”
Applicants who fail to meet the required criteria risk penalties. “It would be better for them to wait, as they risk wasting their money,” he warned.
Additionally, JAMB has waived its registration fees for candidates under its trial testing category.
“Trial testing candidates do not pay JAMB any fees,” Oloyede revealed. “They only pay for a book (N1,000), CBT centre fees (N700), exam venue (N1,500), and bank charges (N300), totaling N3,500.”
So far, 523 candidates nationwide have registered for this initiative. “These are individuals who acknowledge they are underage and are willing to take part in a trial test, which is why we made it free for them,” he added.
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