Victoria Mbangwa
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that more than 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), representing a whopping 75% of the total candidates who sat for the exam.
According to official statistics released by JAMB on Monday, only 420,415 out of the 1,955,069 candidates managed to score above 200 the conventional benchmark used by many tertiary institutions in Nigeria for admission consideration.
Even more alarming is the fact that less than 1% of all candidates scored above 300, highlighting a steep performance drop and raising questions about the preparedness of students and the quality of education across the country.
In a detailed statement, JAMB noted that 40,247 underage candidates were allowed to sit for the examination under a special provision to showcase “exceptional ability.” However, only 467 of these candidates (1.16%) met the criteria for such exceptional performance. Their eligibility for the next three stages of assessment remains under review.
Meanwhile, the examination body confirmed that 97 candidates were directly involved in examination malpractice, while an additional 2,157 are under investigation for suspected infractions. JAMB also recorded 71,701 absentees.
Candidates affected by biometric issues are currently undergoing verification, and those cleared will be rescheduled for the exam at designated centres.
As for blind and JEOG (JAMB Equal Opportunity Group) candidates, JAMB stated their results are still being processed, with further updates expected soon.
The Board has promised to hold a press briefing later in the week to announce the release of individual results and provide guidance on how candidates can access their scores.
