The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), revealing that a staggering 78 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400 points.
The data, published on Monday, showed that out of 1,955,069 valid results. Only 420,415 candidates (22%) scored above 200, while a meagre 12,414 (0.63%) scored 300 and above. raising concerns about student preparedness and systemic issues in Nigeria’s education sector.
JAMB noted that individual results will be released to candidates later in the week during an official press conference.
The UTME is Nigeria’s standardized entrance exam for admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This year’s edition took place between April 24 and May 5, 2025.
Comparison with 2024 UTME Results
The 2025 UTME pass rate is lower than last year’s, with just 22 percent of candidates scoring above 200, an indicator widely used by tertiary institutions as a benchmark for admission eligibility.
In comparison:
- 2024 UTME: 24% scored above 200, 0.5% scored above 300
- 2025 UTME: 22% scored above 200, 0.63% scored above 300
Despite a slightly higher number of high performers this year (12,414 compared to 8,000 in 2024 scoring above 300), the overall percentage of students scoring below the midline of 200 has increased from 76% to 78%.
Mixed Outcomes of Underage and Exceptional Candidates’ Results
A total of 40,247 underage candidates were granted special permission to sit for the 2025 UTME under JAMB’s “exceptional ability” policy.
However, just 467 (1.16%) of them met the performance threshold to qualify as exceptional candidates. JAMB said these individuals will face three more stages of evaluation before further decisions are made.
Malpractices, Absenteeism, and Pending Results
JAMB also provided updates on examination conduct and result status:
- 97 candidates were confirmed to be involved in examination malpractice
- 2,157 others are under investigation
- 71,701 candidates were absent from the examination
In addition, candidates with biometric challenges are being reviewed and may be rescheduled for exams at designated centres.
Results for blind candidates and those under the JEOG category are also still being processed, pending verification.
Stakeholders Call for Reflection on Education Quality
The data has raised questions about the effectiveness of teaching at secondary school level and the readiness of students for tertiary education. Education stakeholders say the low performance is indicative of deep-rooted issues in the learning ecosystem.
Experts have called for urgent reforms, including:
- Improved teacher training and curriculum design
- Digital tools for learning and performance tracking
- More effective student support systems in secondary schools
UTME 2025 Result Release and Next Steps
Candidates are advised to await the official result release press conference later this week, where guidelines for checking results and post-UTME processes will be announced. JAMB says all cleared candidates will be able to check their UTME 2025 scores online or via SMS.
If you enjoyed this article, click here to read more informative posts, also check us out on Instagram for fun and engaging content.
Disclaimer: The opinions, views, and information expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of iNaijanow. The company assumes no liability for any errors, omissions, or damages arising from the use of this information.
