The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced the conversion of 2025 UTME registrations to Direct Entry (DE) for candidates with higher qualifications.
This was announced in a post on JAMB’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday, August 7, 2025.
JAMB explained that the conversion service is available at all its Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) across Nigeria.
“This is to notify all interested candidates that the UTME to DE conversion has commenced. The service is available at our Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) nationwide. All 2025 UTME candidates with higher qualifications suitable for Direct Entry (DE) should please take note,” the board stated.
The conversion process targets candidates who originally applied through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) but later obtained higher qualifications, such as a diploma, NCE, or equivalent, which qualify them for Direct Entry admission into Nigerian universities.
This allows eligible candidates to skip the first year (100 level) and begin from 200 level in participating institutions.
Direct Entry applicants typically begin from 200 level instead of 100 level in most universities, making the conversion a strategic option for qualified candidates.
Steps for UTME conversion to direct entry based on procedures from previous years
Naijaonpoint reported that JAMB has introduced stricter guidelines for the 2025 admissions cycle, including a notable policy on age requirements.
The official age threshold for university admission remains 16 years. However, exceptions are now made for a small number of underage candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic and psychological readiness.
According to JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, underage candidates those younger than 16 must attain a UTME score of at least 320, score 80% or higher in post-UTME, and have a minimum of 80% in one sitting of WAEC or NECO, without mixing results from different exam bodies.
Science students must also have top marks in Mathematics, while arts candidates must excel in English. Even in institutions where post-UTME has been suspended, underage applicants will still be subjected to a mandatory screening process.
JAMB has also established a 23-member National Committee on Underage Admission to oversee this new approach, with screenings scheduled in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri. In a shift from past procedures, the Board will now evaluate not only academic records but also the emotional and psychological readiness of these candidates using a newly designed framework led by former Minister of Sports, Professor Taoheed Adedoja.