Following the conduct of a resit for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that over 200,000 additional candidates have now scored above the 200-mark benchmark.
The resit was necessitated by widespread technical and human errors that marred the initial examination, particularly at 157 centres located across Lagos and the South-East. As a result, 379,997 affected candidates were directed to retake the exam.
In a statement released on Sunday, JAMB confirmed that the number of candidates who scored below 200 has now dropped to 1,365,479, down from the 1.5 million recorded in the original results released on May 9, 2025. This improvement suggests that about 200,000 more candidates have crossed the average score line.
The examination body noted that a total of 1,931,467 candidates sat the 2025 UTME, with all results now officially released. This figure surpasses the 1,842,464 recorded in 2024, continuing a steady rise in UTME participation since the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format was introduced in 2013.
Despite the improved performance, a majority—70.7% of candidates—still scored below 200 in 2025. However, this marks a slight improvement from 76% in 2024 and 76.64% in 2023.
The statistics show notable gains in other score brackets:
565,988 candidates (29.3%) scored 200 and above, up from 439,961 (24%) in 2024 and 355,689 (23.36%) in 2023.
117,373 candidates (6.08%) scored 250 and above, compared to 77,070 (4.18%) in 2024 and 56,736 (3.73%) in 2023.
In the highest score range (300 and above), 8,401 candidates (0.46%) reached this threshold in 2025, up from 5,318 (0.35%) in 2023. In contrast, only 724 candidates scored 300 and above in 2021, while none did in 2013 and 2014.
JAMB said the improved results reflect ongoing refinements in its examination systems and a growing familiarity among candidates with the CBT format.
However, the Board also highlighted lingering irregularities discovered during the resit process. It noted that the crisis exposed “alarming practices” by some school proprietors and Computer-Based Test centres that contributed to examination malpractices.
As part of a resolution process, JAMB stated that the withheld results of underage candidates—excluding those involved in litigation—have been released. However, these candidates remain ineligible for admission due to prior agreements signed during registration that restricted admission to those meeting the age and score requirements.
JAMB is expected to provide further updates on how the resit results will impact the 2025 tertiary admissions process in the coming weeks.
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