Olushola Omogbehin
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed the reason some candidates are seeing a “No Result Yet” message when checking their 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
It said the status mainly affects underage candidates whose results are being withheld pending further review.
JAMB disclosed through its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, that only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are eligible to fully participate in the UTME admission process.
Candidates below this age threshold are placed under special consideration, and their results are not immediately released.
The board explained that this approach is intended to protect younger students by ensuring that those who are not yet of the required age are carefully assessed before progressing further in the education system.
JAMB further noted that gifted underage candidates are exempted from this and to qualify under this category, candidates must score at least 320 in the UTME and achieve a minimum of 80 percent in subsequent screening stages. Only those who meet this benchmark will be shortlisted for further evaluation.
The board added that the arrangement was agreed upon with parents of underage candidates, reinforcing the shared responsibility between families and education authorities in safeguarding children’s academic progression.
As the results are temporarily withheld, JAMB says the screening process is designed to balance academic opportunity with age-appropriate educational development.
It is also to ensure that specially talented students are not rushed into higher education systems before meeting established safeguards.
The policy is an effort to align the outcome of examination with child development considerations readiness for the demands of tertiary education.
