More than 5,000 students who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) over the past five academic years were unable to gain admission into Nigerian universities, despite their impressive scores.
This revelation came from data obtained from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Out of 8.5 million candidates who took the UTME between 2019 and 2024, only 2.7 million were admitted into higher institutions, while approximately 5.8 million did not secure admission.
JAMB listed several reasons for this, including incorrect subject combinations in O’level results, poor performance in post-UTME screenings, students not accepting their admission offers, duplicate applications, missing screening sessions, and issues with catchment area placement.
Admission numbers showed a consistent trend: in 2019/2020, about 612,000 candidates were admitted out of nearly 1.8 million.
The following years were similar, with large numbers of students left without admission despite sitting for the UTME.
Some experts have called on JAMB to extend the validity of UTME results beyond one year, similar to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results, to reduce the financial burden on students and families.
They argue that many candidates retake the exam yearly because of these admission gaps.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has defended the credibility of JAMB’s Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system despite technical issues during the 2025 UTME.
He explained that the problems were caused by a service provider error and not JAMB itself.
He assured Nigerians that the issue had been investigated and resolved, and that affected candidates would be rescheduled for another exam.
In Lagos, where rescheduled exams were held, attendance was lower than expected at several CBT centres.
At Datforte International School, about 212 and 222 candidates attended the two sessions out of 250 expected per session.
Other centres reported similar shortfalls.
Officials blamed the low turnout on the late notification sent to candidates, with some receiving it just hours before the exam.
Students and parents expressed frustration over the short notice and the long distances they had to travel to exam centres.
Some candidates missed their exams entirely because they couldn’t arrive in time.
Parents said the rushed rescheduling could negatively affect student performance, especially since many candidates were also writing the ongoing WAEC exams at the same time.
In other parts of the country, such as Anambra and Imo states, the exams were conducted smoothly under tight security.
JAMB officials and security personnel were praised for maintaining order, and candidates who couldn’t be verified were advised to reprint their slips and return at a later date.
Parents and stakeholders are urging JAMB to improve planning and communication to avoid such issues in future exams.
