JAMB Stuns Nation: 2025 UTME Records Highest Scores in 12 Years — Over 17,000 Hit 300+ Despite Exam Glitches!

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) recorded the best performance in over a decade, even after the chaos caused by widespread technical disruptions.

According to data released by JAMB on Sunday, this year’s UTME saw an unprecedented surge in high scores since the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format began in 2013. A staggering 17,025 candidates — 0.88% of those who sat the exam — scored 300 and above. This figure more than doubles the 8,401 (0.46%) who reached that mark in 2024 and triples the 5,318 (0.35%) recorded in 2023.

In addition, 117,373 candidates scored 250 and above, while over half a million, 565,988 to be exact, scored 200 and above. The Board stated that this uptick is not only impressive but also an indicator of improved student readiness and the credibility of its testing process.

UTME Score Distribution Over the Years:

The announcement comes just days after JAMB concluded its nationwide mop-up exercise for candidates affected by technical issues. Over 150 centres experienced disruptions during the April 2025 UTME, prompting the Board to organise a resit for nearly 380,000 affected candidates beginning May 16.

While many were expecting a dip in overall performance due to the disruptions, JAMB says the final figures tell a different story.

“This year’s outcome is a testament to the resilience of our candidates and the robustness of our quality assurance mechanisms,” a JAMB spokesperson said.

The result has sparked discussions across the country, with education stakeholders praising the achievement but also urging the board to address the technical challenges that marred the initial exam experience.

Despite the hurdles, 2025 may well go down in history as the year Nigerian students beat the odds, and the system — to shine.

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