The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a significant improvement in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results following a resit examination for nearly 380,000 candidates. This move came after technical and human errors marred the initial examination, raising concerns over widespread low scores.
According to a statement released on Sunday, over 200,000 additional candidates scored above the 200-mark threshold after the resit, reducing the number of low scores from 1.5 million to 1.36 million. Despite the improvement, a majority — 70.7% of the 1.9 million candidates — still scored below 200, though this marks a slight improvement compared to 76% in 2024 and 76.64% in 2023.
The resit was conducted in Lagos and South-East states, affecting 379,997 candidates across 157 centres. The error, which originated from a faulty server update, had compromised candidates’ ability to properly upload their responses during the first three days of the original exam.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the new results highlight a notable recovery in candidate performance and show a promising trend in the examination process since the adoption of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in 2013.
Highlights from the 2025 UTME results include:
565,988 candidates (29.3%) scored 200 and above, compared to 439,961 (24%) in 2024 and 355,689 (23.36%) in 2023.
117,373 candidates (6.08%) scored 250 and above, up from 77,070 (4.18%) in 2024 and 56,736 (3.73%) in 2023.
In the top scoring band, over 8,000 candidates scored 300 and above, up from just over 5,000 in 2023 and significantly higher than previous years.
Since 2013, JAMB has continually refined the CBT process, and the 2025 UTME results appear to reflect these improvements. The total number of released results also increased, with 1,931,467 results published in 2025 compared to 1,842,364 in 2024.
In a statement, JAMB noted that the resit not only helped correct initial errors but also exposed widespread malpractice among candidates and some school and CBT centre operators.
Additionally, the Board confirmed that it had released the results of over 41,000 underage candidates, though they remain ineligible for admission. These candidates had previously agreed that only those meeting prescribed standards would be considered for special admission.
JAMB is expected to issue further guidelines on how the revised results will affect the 2025 admission process.
