Why Over 5,000 UTME High Scorers Failed to Secure University Admission
By Deborah Tolu-Kolawole, Imoleayo Oyedeyi, Ikenna Obianeri, Grace Edema, and Uche Okere
More than 5,000 candidates who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) between 2019 and 2024 failed to gain admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, an investigation by Saturday PUNCH has uncovered.
According to JAMB data accessed by our correspondent, approximately 8.5 million candidates sat for the UTME during the five academic sessions reviewed, but only 2.7 million gained admission — leaving over 5.8 million stranded, including thousands of top scorers.
JAMB explained that several factors contributed to this outcome, including:
- Wrong O’level subject combinations
- Low post-UTME scores
- Failure to accept admission offers
- Duplicate applications
- Absence during post-UTME screenings
- Catchment area mismatches
Admission Data Breakdown (2019–2024):
- 2019/2020: 1.79 million sat; 612,557 admitted
- 2020/2021: 1.95 million sat; 551,553 admitted
- 2021/2022: 1.4 million sat; 312,666 admitted
- 2022/2023: 1.8 million sat; 557,625 admitted
- 2023/2024: 1.63 million sat; 639,263 admitted
Each year, hundreds of thousands of high scorers, including those with 300+ marks, failed to secure spots due to systemic and logistical issues.
Calls for UTME Result Validity Extension
Education stakeholders are urging JAMB to extend the one-year validity period of UTME results. Ayodamola Oluwatoyin of Reform Education Nigeria noted that WAEC results remain valid for years, and UTME should follow suit to reduce yearly financial burdens on candidates.
Another expert, Omotomiwa Daniels, supported the idea, saying: “Students who don’t get admitted must rewrite the exam yearly — which is unnecessary. Extending the result validity to two or three years would help.”
FG Defends CBT Integrity Amid Glitches
Despite technical disruptions in the 2025 UTME, Education Minister Tunji Alausa assured the public that the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system remains credible. He attributed the issue to a glitch from a service provider, which has now been resolved.
Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede also apologized for the challenges and promised that affected candidates would be rescheduled.
Low Turnout for Rescheduled Exams
In Lagos, attendance at rescheduled exams was lower than expected. At some centres like Datforte International School and New Ocean Comprehensive High School, turnout was significantly below capacity.
Centre administrators cited late notifications as the cause, with some students reportedly informed only hours before the exams. Many arrived without printed slips, forcing examiners to make exceptions.
Students and Parents Complain About Distance and Stress
Some candidates had to travel long distances on short notice. A student named Segun, for instance, had to journey overnight from Abuja to Lagos but missed his session.
Administrators explained that candidates who registered late were more likely to be posted to distant centres with leftover space, hence the travel burden.
Conclusion
The mismatch between UTME performance and actual university admission highlights deeper issues in Nigeria’s tertiary admission system. Experts are now urging JAMB to extend UTME result validity and improve communication and logistics to reduce candidate stress and improve access to higher education.
