By Peter Omopo
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that more than 1.5 million candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scored below 200 out of a total of 1,955,069 candidates.
According to the statistical analysis of the just-concluded UTME released on Monday, only 420,415 candidates achieved scores above 200, representing about 21.5 per cent of the total candidates.
JAMB noted that approximately 75 per cent of the candidates scored below 200, while less than 1 per cent of the candidates managed to score above 300.
The board also highlighted the participation of 40,247 underage candidates who were allowed to take the exam to demonstrate exceptional academic potential. However, only 467 of them — about 1.16 per cent — scored above the defined threshold for exceptional ability, with further assessment stages still pending.
The performance statistics underscore growing concerns over academic preparedness and the quality of secondary education across the country.
