No fewer than 706,418 approved admission spaces in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions remained unfilled in 2025, even as millions of young Nigerians sought admission into higher institutions, a policy brief by the iRead To Live Initiative has revealed.
The report said 1,009,736 of 1,716,154 approved admission places were filled nationally during the 2025 admission cycle, leaving 706,418 places vacant.
The figures represent an overall 58.8 per cent fill rate, indicating that more than 40 per cent of the approved admission capacity was not utilised.
The findings are contained in the August 2026 policy brief titled “The Admissions Gap: Who Gets into Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions, and Why It Matters,” authored by Executive Director of the iRead To Live Initiative, Jacob Sule.
The policy brief is the inaugural publication of iRead To Live Initiative as a higher education policy think tank.
The organisation said the research was independently produced and was not funded or commissioned by any government agency, tertiary institution or commercial organisation.
The report identified a significant disparity between universities and other tertiary institutions.
According to the figures, universities filled 74 per cent of their approved places, while other tertiary institutions recorded a fill rate of only 34.3 per cent.
The overall fill rate across all institutions was 58.8 per cent.
For degree-awarding universities specifically, the report said 785,180 of 1,060,919 approved places were filled, leaving 275,739 places unoccupied.
Polytechnics and colleges of education performed worse, filling only about one-third of their approved admission capacity.
The report said:”1,009,736 of 1,716,154 approved places were filled nationally in 2025, leaving 706,418 unfilled. Polytechnics and colleges of education filled only about a third of their approved places
“Within degree-awarding universities specifically, the fill rate was considerably higher: 785,180 of 1,060,919 approved
places filled, with 275,739 left empty. Put simply, Nigeria’s tertiary institutions did not run out of room in 2025.
“Hundreds of thousands of approved seats went unused even as public conversation focused on candidates who
could not gain a place at all.”
The development comes as 2,243,816 candidates registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
However, the policy brief noted that the 2026 admission cycle had not been finalised when the report was prepared, and therefore the 2026 registration figure could not be directly compared with the completed 2025 admission figures.
The initiative said the figures expose what it described as a paradox in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
While public attention is often focused on candidates who are unable to secure admission, hundreds of thousands of approved spaces simultaneously remain vacant.
The report said Nigeria’s tertiary institutions “did not run out of room in 2025,” arguing that the problem goes beyond simply creating more admission capacity.
The report however, attributed the situation to a structural mismatch between the location of approved admission spaces and what candidates want, qualify for and can realistically reach.
The group also raised concerns about the availability and consistency of admission data.
It noted that a separate applicant-level JAMB table reports the same admission cycle somewhat differently, saying this underscores the need for clearer and more disaggregated data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The iRead To Live Initiative recommended that JAMB publish privacy-protected admissions and performance data disaggregated by state, local government area, geopolitical zone, gender, subject and institution.
It said the data would enable government, tertiary institutions and independent researchers to identify where access gaps are concentrated.
The organisation also called for the publication of the evidence behind the collectively agreed cut-off mark, particularly to show the basis for national decisions on STEM and non-STEM access.
It urged JAMB to publish an Annual Admissions and Access Report after each admission cycle.
According to the report, the publication should reconcile applicant-level admission figures with institutional capacity and provide consistent year-on-year data, allowing policymakers and the public to properly assess Nigeria’s admission system.
The policy also recommended that JAMB pilot and independently assess its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option before nationwide implementation.
It called for controlled pilots, independent penetration testing and published device, security and equity standards to ensure candidates without suitable personal devices are not disadvantaged.
The organisation also urged JAMB to expand computer-based testing access and readiness support across all six geopolitical zones, alongside a free and universally accessible readiness module for candidates.
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