JAMB Releases 2025 UTME Results: Over 1.5 Million Candidates Score Below 200

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has published a detailed statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), offering insight into the overall performance of candidates across Nigeria.

According to the data, out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the examination, over 1.5 million scored below 200 — a significant figure considering 400 is the highest possible score.

The performance breakdown revealed the following:

• 4,756 candidates scored above 320

• 7,658 candidates scored between 300 and 319

In a notable update, JAMB also confirmed that 40,247 underage candidates were allowed to participate in the exam to demonstrate what it described as “exceptional abilities.” However, only 467 of those candidates — just 1.16% — scored at or above the threshold that qualifies as “exceptional ability” by JAMB’s criteria. Their performances in the next three assessment stages are still under review.

The low number of high scorers has sparked concerns among stakeholders about the overall academic readiness of candidates and the quality of education leading up to the UTME.

As the admission process begins, universities and other tertiary institutions will now rely on this performance data to set cut-off marks and finalize admission criteria for the 2025/2026 academic year.