For applicants under 16, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has instituted a simulated Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, clarified that the mock UTME is intended for minors looking to assess their skills rather than for admission to postsecondary institutions.
Oloyede made the announcement that this year’s UTME will take place on March 8, 2025, during a meeting with media executives in Lagos on Sunday.
“We are starting the sale of forms on the 31st of January till 5th of March. There will be a mock exam on the 23rd of February and on the 8th of March there will be UTME,” the JAMB Registrar stated.
Oloyede stated that JAMB would only be implementing a trial-testing exam mock this year.
He clarified that the mock trial test is intended for people under the age of sixteen who would not be eligible for admission to universities, polytechnics, or educational institutions.
He went on to say that applicants must be 16 years old by September 30 in order to be eligible to take the UTME and get admission to universities, polytechnics, or institutions of education.
The don stated that candidates who do not want to be admitted for 2025 but would like to experience CBT could register for mock only for trial testing.
He also mentioned that the sale of Direct Entry application documents and e-PIN vending would start on March 10 and April 7.
Oloyede clarified that UTME with mock would cost N8,200, UTME only (without mock) would cost N7,200, trial-testing mock only (for testing only or underage candidates) would cost N5,700, and direct entry candidates would need to pay N5,700.
The JAMB registrar clarified that the board would enforce the 16-year-old age limit for this year’s UTME registration, noting that only talented candidates under 15 years old would be permitted to register.
He further stated that an applicant must achieve a minimum score of 280 on the UTME and demonstrate remarkable performance in the senior secondary certificate and post-UTME exams in order to be eligible for admission as an underage.
“The policy meeting on admission adopted 16 years as the minimum for 2024 admission. JAMB tried to assist by extending the date to accommodate more candidates, but we were taken to court to reverse the extension to 16 years,” he said.
Only applicants who are 18 years of age or older would be allowed to the nation’s higher institutions, according to a statement made last year by former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman.
Nigerians were so outraged by the declaration that the Federal Government was compelled to change its mind.
In November 2024, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Mamman’s successor, suspended the nation’s tertiary institutions’ 18-year admittance requirement.
Oloyede revealed that, in contrast to the 747 allowed last year, 870 computer-based test centers had been inspected and tentatively listed for the 2025 UTME.