The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has acknowledged errors that impacted student performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
This admission came from the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. He noted that what should have been a joyful experience for candidates turned disappointing due to “one or two errors.”
The UTME, a crucial requirement for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions, evaluates candidates in four subjects, including the mandatory Use of English and three others related to their intended field of study. Among the 1.9 million candidates who participated in the exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of 400, prompting widespread concern in the education sector.
JAMB reported that out of the 1,955,069 processed results, only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) achieved scores of 320 and above, while 7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319, totaling 12,414 candidates (0.63%) who scored 300 or higher. Additionally, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 (17.11%) fell between 200 and 249.
The data further showed that 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199, a range commonly considered the minimum admission standard in many institutions.
In lower score brackets, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) achieved between 140 and 159, 57,419 (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 (0.20%) landed between 100 and 119, and 2,031 (0.10%) scored below 100. Overall, more than 75% of the candidates (1.5 million) scored below 200.
In response to these issues, some affected candidates have threatened to take legal action against JAMB.
NewsGlobal Reporters