The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that out of 40,247 underage candidates who participated in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, only 467—representing 1.16%—scored within the “exceptional ability” category.
This figure was drawn from a total of 1,955,069 results processed so far by the examination body.
The announcement, which was made on JAMB’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter), clarified that while the candidates were permitted to sit for the exam to demonstrate their academic potential, “their performance in the subsequent three stages is still pending.”
In addition to the performance statistics, JAMB highlighted several issues encountered during the examination process. These include examination infractions, absenteeism, and biometric verification challenges.
“A total of 97 candidates were involved in examination infractions,” JAMB stated, adding that 2,157 others are currently under investigation for suspected malpractices. The Board also reported that 71,701 candidates were absent from the exam without providing reasons.
On biometric challenges, JAMB explained, “Candidates facing biometric challenges are under investigation, and those who are cleared will be rescheduled for examination at designated centres.”
The body also confirmed that some results are still being processed, particularly those involving blind candidates and those under the JEOG category.
A press briefing has been scheduled by JAMB to provide more updates, during which access to result-checking portals will be enabled for all candidates.
A statistical overview of the 2025 UTME performance shows that a significant majority of candidates scored below 200, a common cut-off mark for many tertiary institutions.
Only 12,414 candidates, representing 0.63%, scored 300 and above. Of these, 4,756 scored 320 and above, while 7,658 fell within the 300–319 bracket.
Further analysis revealed, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250–299, 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200–249, 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160–199, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140–159, 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120–139, 3,820 candidates (0.20%) scored between 100–119, 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.
Reacting to the performance trend, JAMB noted that “over 75% of candidates scored below 200,” reinforcing concerns about declining academic performance.
