2025 UTME: JAMB blames tech errors for mass failure, orders resit for 380,000 candidates By Abibu Shehu Ibrahim
2025 UTME: JAMB blames tech errors for mass failure, orders resit for 380,000 candidates
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has acknowledged its role in the widespread poor performance recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), attributing the outcome to technical errors during the conduct of the exercise.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made the disclosure at a press briefing held in Abuja, today, Wednesday.
“What should have been a moment of joy has changed due to one or two errors,” Oloyede admitted.
The UTME is a crucial requirement for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. It assesses candidates in four subjects, including the compulsory Use of English, with the remaining three based on the candidates’ chosen field of study.
Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, over 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of a possible 400, triggering widespread concern in the education sector.
According to JAMB, a total of 1,955,069 results were processed. Of this number, only 4,756 candidates (0.24 per cent) scored 320 and above, a range considered excellent. Another 7,658 candidates (0.39 per cent) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total number of candidates who scored 300 and above to 12,414 (0.63 per cent).
Furthermore, 73,441 candidates (3.76 per cent) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 (17.11 per cent) scored between 200 and 249.
A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 per cent) scored between 160 and 199, a range widely accepted as the minimum benchmark for admission into many tertiary institutions.
In the same analysis, 488,197 candidates (24.97 per cent) scored between 140 and 159, while 57,419 (2.94 per cent) scored between 120 and 139.
Another 3,820 (0.20 per cent) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10 per cent) scored below 100.
Altogether, over 75 per cent of all candidates, roughly 1.5 million, scored below 200, the average score for an exam graded out of 400.
Oloyede revealed that approximately 379,997 candidates would be given the opportunity to retake the examination.
He explained that this decision affects candidates who sat for the exam in 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in the Owerri Zone, which covers the five South-East states. These candidates will be required to rewrite the UTME.
Meanwhile, some affected candidates have threatened to take legal action against JAMB.
