No fewer than six million candidates who sat the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in the last five academic sessions failed to secure admission into Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions, an analysis of official data by The Classicinfo has revealed.
Between 2020 and 2024, over 8.9 million candidates took the annual entrance exam conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
However, only about 2.7 million were admitted, leaving a staggering six million stranded, many of whom were forced to re-register and retake the examination in subsequent years.
Among the affected six million candidates are over 5,000 candidates who scored 300 and above out of the possible 400 score in the UTME.
The UTME, organised by JAMB, is the only acceptable examination taken by individuals seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Though some tertiary institutions may still schedule post-UTME for candidates seeking admission into their institutions, no individual can be admitted without a result verified by JAMB.
JAMB listed various factors as responsible for the low admission rate for candidates, as our correspondent observed that even candidates with scores as high
The UTME is typically based on four subject combinations, with each subject scored out of a total of 100 marks.
Though students are at liberty to choose their subject combination in line with their chosen course of study, the use of English is compulsory for all students who wish to be admitted into the country’s tertiary education system.
In the 2020/2021 academic session, a total of 1,949,983 candidates sat the UTME, but only 551,553 admission quotas were filled according to the JAMB policy meeting document for 2021.
This left 1,398,430 candidates without admission.
In the 2021/2022 academic session, a total of 1,400,000 candidates sat the examination, but only 312,666 were admitted, while 1,087,333 did not secure admission.
In the 2022/2023 academic session, there was a major boost as a total of 1,800,000 candidates reportedly sat the examination.
However, only 557,625 admission quotas were filled according to the report released during the 2023 JAMB policy meeting held in Abuja.
Going by the data, 1,242,375 candidates failed to secure admission.
In the 2023/2024 academic session, the number of candidates who sat the exam stood at 1,635,881, while only 639,263 got placements into higher institutions.
For the 2024/2025 admissions session, over two million candidates sat for the examinations while a little over 600,000 were admitted.
Commenting on the reasons why candidates, including high scorers, failed to get admitted, JAMB, in the documents obtained, listed “Wrong O’Level subject combination; low post-UTME screening score; non-acceptance of admission offer; duplication of application; absence from post-UTME screening and mismatch of catchment.”
Meanwhile, education experts have asked that JAMB extend the validity of its results.
The Programme director, Reform Education Nigeria, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, said, “I think the best thing will be for JAMB to extend the validity of the UTME.
“For instance, when you look at WAEC, you know that if you aren’t able to use it for admission the year you graduated, you can still use it later.
“Let JAMB extend the validity so that people won’t be paying every year. The economic situation in the country isn’t smiling.”
Another educationist, Omotomiwa Daniels, said, “Every year we hear of this large number of candidates who sit for the examination.
“The ones not admitted get to write every year till they ‘make’ it. Why not extend the validity of the UTME result from one year to maybe two or three years?”