The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially acknowledged errors that impacted the performance of candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Board, made this admission during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

“What should have been a moment of joy has changed due to one or two errors,” Oloyede said.

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is a crucial requirement for admission into higher education institutions in Nigeria. It assesses candidates in four subjects, including the mandatory Use of English, while the other three subjects are selected based on the candidate's chosen field of study.

Out of the 1.9 million candidates who took the UTME, over 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks, raising significant concerns within the education sector.

The examination body processed a total of 1,955,069 results, of which only 4,756 candidates (0.24 percent) scored 320 and above, considered top-tier performance. Additionally, 7,658 candidates (0.39 percent) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total number of candidates who scored 300 and above to 12,414 (0.63 percent).

Also, 73,441 candidates (3.76 per cent) scored between 250 and 299 while 334,560 candidates (17.11 per cent) scored between 200 and 249.

A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 percent) scored between 160 and 199, which is considered the minimum threshold for admission in many institutions.

Meanwhile, 488,197 candidates (24.97 percent) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94 percent) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20 percent) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10 percent) scored below 100.

Over 75 percent of all candidates (approximately 1.5 million) scored below 200, which is regarded as an average score, given the exam is graded out of 400.

Some of the affected candidates have threatened to take legal action against JAMB.

more to follow……