Heartbreak At 300+! Why Brilliant UTME Students Still Missed Out On University Slots

No fewer than 5,000 candidates who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over five academic sessions, failed to gain admission into tertiary institutions, according to findings by Saturday PUNCH.

Data obtained from JAMB by our correspondent in Abuja on Friday revealed that a total of 8.5 million candidates sat for the UTME during the period under review. Of this number, only about 2.7 million were admitted into higher education institutions, leaving approximately 5.8 million applicants without admission.

The UTME is the sole examination recognized for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

While some institutions may still conduct post-UTME screening for prospective students, no candidate can be admitted without a verified result from JAMB.

JAMB cited several reasons for the failure of many candidates, including those with high scores, to secure admission. These reasons include incorrect O’level subject combinations, low post-UTME screening results, refusal to accept admission offers, duplicate applications, absence from post-UTME screening, and catchment area mismatches.

Admission Statistics

In the 2019/2020 academic session, 1,792,719 candidates sat for the UTME across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. However, only 612,557 were admitted, leaving 1,180,162 without admission.

The 2020/2021 session recorded 1,949,983 UTME candidates, with only 551,553 admitted, resulting in 1,398,430 candidates denied admission.

During the 2021/2022 session, 1.4 million candidates sat the exam, but only 312,666 secured admission, leaving 1,087,333 unsuccessful.

In 2022/2023, 1.8 million candidates took the UTME, yet just 557,625 were admitted, with 1,242,375 candidates left out.

For the 2023/2024 session, 1,635,881 candidates wrote the exam, while only 639,263 were admitted.

Calls to Extend Result Validity

Education experts have urged JAMB to extend the validity period of UTME results. Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, Programme Director at Reform Education Nigeria, suggested extending UTME validity similar to WAEC, so candidates won’t have to reapply annually, especially given the challenging economic climate.

Educationist Omotomiwa Daniels also recommended increasing the validity period from one to two or three years to reduce the burden on candidates who repeatedly sit the exam.

Government Supports JAMB

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, reassured Nigerians about the integrity of the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system used by JAMB, despite recent technical issues during the 2025 UTME.

In a Lagos interview on Friday, Alausa expressed confidence in the CBT system and JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede’s leadership. He explained that the disruptions were due to a technical fault involving shuffled questions not loading properly in some centres, especially in Lagos and parts of the Southeast.

“This issue was a human error by the service provider and is not reflective of the CBT system’s credibility or JAMB’s integrity. The problem was swiftly addressed after a forensic audit and expert intervention,” the minister stated.

He added that JAMB had taken precautionary measures prior to the exams, including technical checks and collaboration with service providers to ensure exam integrity.

Alausa noted that although the incident was unfortunate, it provided an opportunity to improve examination procedures.

Earlier, Prof. Oloyede apologized to affected candidates and parents, confirming that the issue originated from a technical fault by one of JAMB’s service providers.