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75% of 2025 UTME Candidates Score Below 200, JAMB Reveals

Written by Agboola Oluwafemi on May 5, 2025

News Views: 17

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that more than 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), out of a total of 1,955,069 candidates who participated in the nationwide assessment.

This data was released on Monday as part of a detailed statistical breakdown of this year’s UTME performance. According to JAMB, only 420,415 candidates — approximately 21.5% — achieved scores exceeding the 200-point benchmark. Strikingly, less than 1% of all test-takers surpassed the 300-point mark, underscoring widespread academic challenges across the board.

In its accompanying statement, the examination body revealed that 40,247 candidates who were below the minimum age requirement were granted special permission to sit for the exam in order to showcase what JAMB referred to as “exceptional abilities.” However, only 467 of these underage candidates — a mere 1.16% — achieved scores qualifying them for recognition under that category. Their progression through subsequent evaluation phases remains pending.

The board further noted that 97 candidates were implicated in confirmed examination infractions, while an additional 2,157 are under investigation for various forms of suspected malpractice.

Moreover, 71,701 registered candidates were marked absent during the testing period. Candidates who experienced biometric verification challenges are still under scrutiny, with only those who are successfully cleared slated for rescheduling at accredited examination centres.

JAMB also stated that results for certain categories — including visually impaired candidates and those in the JEOG (Joint Examination for Other Groups) cohort — are currently undergoing processing and have yet to be officially released.

A formal press briefing is expected to be convened later this week, during which the board will provide access to individual candidate results and offer further clarification on the evaluation process