- JAMB announced that only 21.5% of over 1.95 million candidates scored above 200 in the 2025 UTME
- Only 1.16% out of the 40,247 underage candidates allowed to write the exam met JAMB’s exceptional ability threshold
- JAMB promises transparency and will update the public as investigations progress
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the official performance statistics for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), revealing that only 21.5% of candidates scored above 200.
The announcement was made via JAMB’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, May 5, 2025.
Out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the exam across Nigeria, only 420,415 (approximately 21.5%) scored above 200.
The majority of candidates, about 78.5%, scored 200 or below. The detailed breakdown of scores is as follows:
- 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above
- 7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300–319
- 73,441 (3.76%) scored between 250–299
- 334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200–249
- 983,187 (50.29%) scored between 160–199
- 488,197 (24.97%) scored between 140–159
Underage candidates' performance
JAMB also revealed that 40,247 underage candidates were granted special permission to take the 2025 UTME based on their academic promise.
However, only 467 (1.16%) met the threshold considered indicative of exceptional academic ability.
Their progression to the next three stages of assessment will be monitored and updated later.
Examination misconduct and absenteeism
The Board reported that 97 candidates were caught committing direct examination infractions, while 2,157 others are currently under investigation for suspected malpractice.
Additionally, 71,701 candidates were absent from the examination. JAMB attributed many of these absences to biometric verification issues.
The affected candidates are being investigated, and those cleared will be rescheduled to take the test at designated centres.
Pending results and special cases
JAMB stated that some results are still under processing, including those for blind candidates and others written under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG).
The Board assured that these results would be released once evaluations are concluded.
JAMB reiterated its commitment to upholding the integrity of the examination process and promised transparency as investigations and assessments continue.
JAMB to allow exceptional candidates below 16 sit for UTME
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) introduced a special provision allowing “exceptional” students below the age of 16 to register for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Oloyede emphasised that while JAMB maintains the 16-year minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions, the board recognises that some rare, highly gifted students may be academically ready before reaching this age.