The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, shedding light on the performance of underage candidates, incidents of examination misconduct, absenteeism, and a detailed statistical breakdown of candidates’ scores.
According to the data made public on JAMB’s official handle @JAMBHQ on X (formerly Twitter), only 467 of the 40,247 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME scored high enough to be considered as exhibiting “exceptional ability”—a figure that represents just 1.16%. These results are part of the 1,955,069 UTME results already processed by the board.
While JAMB allowed these exceptionally young candidates to participate under the Exceptionally Brilliant Window introduced in February by Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the board clarified that their performance will be further evaluated across three subsequent stages.
Beyond the issue of underage performance, JAMB highlighted what it described as “disturbing cases of misconduct and absenteeism.” A total of 97 candidates were confirmed to have engaged in examination infractions, while another 2,157 are currently under investigation for suspected malpractice.
The board also reported that 71,701 candidates were absent from the 2025 UTME, though it did not provide a breakdown of the reasons behind this absenteeism.
In addition, JAMB addressed recurring challenges related to biometric verification, noting that affected candidates are under review and those who are cleared will be rescheduled for their examinations at specially designated centres.
A small fraction of results, including those belonging to blind candidates and others in the JEOG category, are still being processed, the board added.
A press conference has been scheduled to provide further details, including the activation of result-checking portals and official announcements on individual results.
2025 UTME Statistical Breakdown
JAMB’s release also included a full statistical breakdown of the 2025 UTME scores, revealing that more than 75% of all candidates scored below 200, with only a minuscule 0.63% managing to score 300 or above.
Here is the breakdown:
- 320 and above: 4,756 candidates (0.24%)
- 300–319: 7,658 candidates (0.39%)
- Total 300 and above: 12,414 candidates (0.63%)
Mid-to-high performance:
- 250–299: 73,441 candidates (3.76%)
- 200–249: 334,560 candidates (17.11%)
Mid-to-low performance:
- 160–199: 983,187 candidates (50.29%)
- 140–159: 488,197 candidates (24.97%)
- 120–139: 57,419 candidates (2.94%)
- 100–119: 3,820 candidates (0.20%)
- Below 100: 2,031 candidates (0.10%)
These figures underscore the challenges many candidates face in reaching competitive score brackets and reinforce the board’s emphasis on strengthening the quality of teaching and learning across the country.
JAMB concluded its update by reiterating its commitment to fairness, transparency, and the continued integrity of the examination process.
