More than 5,000 candidates who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination across five academic sessions failed to secure admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions, despite their high scores.
Data obtained from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja revealed that out of 8.5 million candidates who sat for the exam within the five-year period, only about 2.7 million gained admission. This left approximately 5.8 million candidates stranded, including many who scored above 300.
JAMB attributed the inability of some top scorers to secure admission to several factors, including wrong O’level subject combinations, low post-UTME scores, failure to accept admission offers, duplicate applications, absence during post-UTME, and mismatches with institutional catchment areas.
Breakdown of Admissions by Year
In the 2019/2020 session, 1,792,719 candidates wrote the exam, but only 612,557 secured admission.
The 2020/2021 academic year saw 1,949,983 candidates, with 551,553 gaining admission.
For 2021/2022, 1.4 million sat for UTME, but only 312,666 were admitted.
The 2022/2023 session recorded 1.8 million candidates, with 557,625 admitted.
In 2023/2024, 1,635,881 wrote the exam, but only 639,263 were admitted.
Education stakeholders have urged JAMB to extend the validity of UTME results to reduce financial pressure on students and families.
Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, Programme Director at Reform Education Nigeria, noted that extending the result validity, similar to WAEC, would allow students to use their scores for up to two or three years.
Educationist Omotomiwa Daniels also highlighted the burden on students who must retake the exam yearly due to limited admission slots.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, assured Nigerians of the credibility of the Computer-Based Testing system used in the UTME, describing the glitches in the 2025 exam as isolated technical issues.
He explained that the disruptions, mainly in Lagos and southeastern states, were caused by a service provider’s error, which has since been addressed. Alausa noted that JAMB had swiftly investigated the issue and rescheduled affected candidates for a new exam.
Despite the rescheduling, some CBT centres in Lagos recorded low turnout. At Datforte International School in Ahmadiyya, 212 and 222 candidates showed up for the first and second sessions respectively, out of 250 expected.
Similar numbers were recorded at New Ocean Comprehensive High School and Vanilla CBT Centre, both in Ayobo, as well as at Enefem International School.
The school proprietor, Ayodele Ezekiel, blamed the low turnout on the short notification period. A CBT centre director in Iyana Ipaja added that many students arrived without printed slips due to last-minute alerts.
Some students, like Segun, travelled from distant locations like Abuja to Lagos overnight after receiving late notifications, only to miss their scheduled sessions.
The Central Administrator at New Ocean, Mrs. Akinwolere Olusola, attributed long-distance postings to late registrations.
Parents at resit centres voiced concerns that the short notice may negatively affect student performance, especially for those also sitting the ongoing WAEC exams.
A parent, Ejeke Patricia, said her son received the UTME notification just after writing a WAEC paper. Another, Mrs. Kuye Temidayo, expressed frustration over the stress of rushing down from Ogun State overnight.
Other parents, including Mrs. Araba Stella, lamented the inconvenience caused by late notifications, long distances, and a lack of facilities at some centres.
In contrast, UTME resits in Anambra and Imo States went smoothly. Centres in Awka, including St. Patrick’s College ICT Centre, JAMB ICT Centre, and St John of God ICT Centre, recorded orderly conduct, with security personnel and biometric verifications in place.
Some candidates were rescheduled due to screening issues, while parents commended JAMB for professionalism and discipline during the process.
