By Abdullahi Yusuf

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, offering a full picture of how Nigerian candidates performed in the examination conducted across the country.

According to official figures, a total of 1,955,069 candidates sat for the UTME, with performance across score ranges as follows:

Score Distribution of 2025 UTME Candidates

Majority Score Below 200

Over 50% of the candidates (983,187) scored between 160 and 199, making it the most common score range. In contrast, only 0.63% of the entire population scored above 300, indicating the high level of difficulty and competition in the examination.

Underage Candidates: Exceptional Talents or Risky Exceptions?

This year, 40,247 underage candidates (i.e., those below 16 years) participated in the UTME, following a policy that allows exceptionally gifted students to sit for the exam. However, only 467 of them (1.16%) scored 300 and above — the minimum benchmark to be considered “exceptionally gifted” under JAMB’s classification. Their overall admission fate will depend on three additional post-exam evaluation stages yet to be conducted.

Exam Infractions and Investigations

JAMB reported that:

• 97 candidates were directly involved in examination misconduct and their results have been withheld.

• 2,157 candidates are currently being investigated for suspected malpractice, including impersonation, illegal assistance, and tampering with exam systems.

• Additionally, 71,701 candidates were recorded as absent from their examination centres.

Candidates Facing Biometric Challenges

A significant number of candidates experienced biometric verification issues, which prevented them from taking the exam at their original schedule. These candidates are still under investigation, and only those who are cleared will be rescheduled to write the exam at special centres.

Pending Results Still Being Processed

JAMB confirmed that:

• Results of blind candidates and others under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) are still being processed. Their exam was conducted under special arrangements using Braille and Read-Aloud modes, with full compliance to the standard test content.
• The release of these results will follow the final round of reviews and validation.

Result Checking and Press Conference Coming Soon

The board has also announced that it will host a press conference later in the week to:

•  Formally announce the release of all candidates’ results.
•  Provide details on how candidates can check their UTME scores online and via SMS.
•  Clarify the next steps for those with pending issues such as biometric problems or withheld results.

What This Means for Candidates

For the majority of candidates, results are already available. However, for others — especially those who were absent, experienced verification errors, or are under investigation — the outcome will depend on ongoing JAMB processes.

Candidates are advised to remain calm, check their profile regularly, and follow official instructions as released by the board.