More than 1.5 million candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, scored below 200, according to data released on Monday by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Of the 1,955,069 candidates who registered and sat for this year’s exam, only 420,415 scored above 200—the widely accepted minimum for competitive admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Just 7,658 candidates scored between 300 and 319, while only 4,756 scored above 320, indicating a drop in high scorers compared to previous years.
In 2024, over 1.4 million candidates scored below 200, out of about 1.9 million who sat for the exam. That year, approximately 540,000 candidates scored above 200.
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The year before, in 2023, JAMB reported that over 1.2 million candidates failed to reach the 200-mark out of about 1.8 million test-takers, showing a continued downward trend in overall performance.
JAMB’s latest statement also revealed that 40,247 underage candidates were allowed to participate in the 2025 UTME to demonstrate exceptional academic potential.
However, only 467 of them—roughly 1.16%—met the exceptional performance threshold, with the results of further assessments still pending.
The persistent decline in UTME results over the past three years has once again fueled nationwide debates on the effectiveness of secondary education, the preparedness of students, and the growing challenges in Nigeria’s academic landscape.
Crediblenewsng.com
