The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Wednesday acknowledged the presence of errors that negatively impacted the performance of candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
This admission was made by the Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press briefing held in Abuja. According to him, “What should have been a moment of joy has changed due to one or two errors.”
The UTME, a prerequisite for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, assesses candidates in four subjects, including the compulsory Use of English. The other three subjects are determined by the candidate’s proposed field of study.
Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the examination, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 marks, raising widespread concerns about the integrity and fairness of the testing process.
JAMB reported that it processed a total of 1,955,069 results. Of this number, only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above. An additional 7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total number of candidates who scored 300 and above to 12,414 (0.63%).
A further breakdown showed that 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249. Meanwhile, 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199, which is considered the minimum benchmark for many higher institutions.
Additionally, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159, while 57,419 (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139. A total of 3,820 candidates (0.20%) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.
With over 75% of the candidates scoring below the 200-mark midpoint on a 400-mark scale, stakeholders in the education sector have expressed concern, and some affected candidates have reportedly threatened legal action against the Board.
