Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that over 1.5 million candidates scored less than 200 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), indicating a widespread underperformance among applicants seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
This disclosure was made by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during a press briefing held in Abuja.
He noted that out of the total 1,989,668 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, only 8,401 scored 300 and above.
A further breakdown showed that 77,070 candidates scored between 250 and 299, while 439,974 scored between 200 and 249. The largest group, numbering 1,402,490, scored between 100 and 199, while 80,810 scored below 100.
Professor Oloyede explained that this year’s performance is consistent with the board’s records from previous years, where a majority of candidates scored below 200.
He added that despite this trend, the board does not see the scores as a failure but rather as a reflection of the current state of the education system and the students’ preparedness.
He also highlighted that 1,989,668 candidates registered and sat for the exam across 118 towns and over 700 examination centres nationwide. Oloyede described the examination process as largely successful, with minimal disruptions.
However, he disclosed that JAMB had to reschedule the exams for 24,535 candidates due to technical issues at some centres, while 64 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice and had their results withheld.
The JAMB registrar urged stakeholders, including parents and institutions, to see the results not merely as statistics but as a call to improve the quality of education at all levels.
He reaffirmed JAMB’s commitment to ensuring credible and fair assessments while continuing efforts to enhance the integrity of the examination process.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
