2025 UTME: JAMB begins Remedial Measures over Result Discrepancies

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has announced that it will review the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results following a wave of “unusual complaints” from candidates after the results were released on Friday.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Friday officially released the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination to the public.

Earlier before the release, the Board released official statistics of the results.

According to the examination agency, a total of 1,955,069 results were processed out of which Only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above, considered top-tier performance.

7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300–319, bringing the total for those who scored 300 and above to 12,414 candidates (0.63%).

Also, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299 while 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249.

A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199, which is widely regarded as the minimum threshold for admissions in many institutions.

In the same vein, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20%) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.

Over 75 per cent of all candidates (1.5 million) scored below 200, average score seeing as the examination is graded over 400.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while reacting to the results said that the performance statistics for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are in line with results recorded over the past 12 years.

He emphasised, however, that such results are not unusual and align with historical patterns.

“This is not peculiar to this year. The performance statistics are consistent with those of the last 12 years,” he said.

In 2024, 76 per cent of candidates who sat the UTME scored less than 200 points.

In 2022, 1.3 million candidates out of 1.7 million –or 78 per cent– who sat the 2022 UTME scored below 200, according to JAMB.

In 2021, only 803 candidates out of 1.3 million – or 0.06 per cent – who sat the 2021 UTME scored above 300.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, while also reacting to the results, said the high failure rate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was clear evidence that the government’s anti-malpractice measures were yielding results, especially within the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board system.

But candidates and parents have continued to allege discrepancies in the released results with some calling on the Board to release the modalities with which it scored each candidate.

Some candidates have rejected their results, insisting they do not reflect their actual performance.

A group of candidates, numbering over 8,000, have reportedly submitted complaints regarding technical glitches experienced during the examination.

The candidates, their families and concerned Nigerians have also taken to social media to express concerns over the results insisting that the released results do not reflect their performances using the hashtag #thisisnotmyresult to protest their scores.

One social media user, @Pennyfabz, who scored 156 expressed concern, saying she had previously scored 285 in the previous edition of the UTME.

“Dear @JAMBHQ, Something is wrong with my result. I’m very confident that this is not what I’m meant to get. Please look into this matter. I’m seriously comforting myself that everything is okay. Please listen to our plea. I can’t go from 285 to 156,” the candidate posted on X.

Another post by @quwam001 reads: “Dear @JAMBHQ, Something is seriously wrong with the recently released UTME results. These scores do not reflect the abilities, efforts, or track record of our students.

“Egbaze Victoria scored 295 in last year’s UTME, and now she’s being told she scored 132? And many others.”

A candidate who sat the examination at a CBT centre in Maitama, Abuja, told The PUNCH, “During the examination, for my Use of English, I noticed that some of my questions were missing. I raised the alarm, and I wasn’t the only one with the issue. When my result came out, I scored 170. JAMB has not addressed the missing questions.”

Another candidate who wrote the exam on April 26 said she was shocked by her result.

 “Last year I scored 287, this year I got 173. Many others who wrote on the same day complained that their English questions were incomplete. This result is not mine.”

A parent also called for a review, saying: “We demand a remark from JAMB. These are exceptional students scoring below 200. Many complained of incomplete questions and other technical issues. JAMB has said nothing. This cannot be swept under the rug.”

The CEO of Educare, Alex Onyia, noted that students have been demoralized over the results. He noted that over 11,000 candidates have filed complaints via a link he posted on X.

“JAMB is messing with these students destiny. The energy is low nationwide amongst students. They can’t write WAEC with this level of energy.

“We need all students mark-sheet released to them and also exams on 24th, 25th, 26th and 28th of April must be thorough investigation quickly. 26th April is the worst of them all with all its incomplete questions and blank questions.

“11,467 complaints have been filed already. Students may have to rewrite JAMB at JAMB’s own expense.

“JAMB may have to publicly apologise to all these Nigerian students.”

On Monday, JAMB announced that it was reviewing the UTME results.