JAMB REGISTRAR SAYS 2025 UTME SCORES FALL WITHIN HISTORICAL RANGE
The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has assured Nigerians that the performance statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are not out of the ordinary, despite public uproar over low scores.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, May 7th, Oloyede stated that contrary to widespread online claims, the outcomes of the 2025 UTME are consistent with patterns observed over the past 12 years. He clarified that while about 1.9 million candidates sat for the examination, approximately 1.5 million of them scored below 200 marks — a threshold many Nigerians commonly associate with competitiveness in university admissions.
However, the JAMB chief stressed that this pattern is not new and should not be used to discredit the examination body. “There is nothing unusual in this year’s performance trend,” he said. “The idea that there is a significant drop is a result of misinformation. Performance has always varied year to year, but it remains within a consistent historical range.”
Oloyede further explained that scores alone do not determine university admissions and urged candidates and their families to understand the holistic nature of the admission process. “JAMB’s role is to assess and rank candidates objectively. It is now up to the institutions to apply their various policies in selecting from this pool, using factors such as catchment areas, post-UTME scores, and departmental quotas.”
He added that the Board is working tirelessly to ensure that only those who are adequately prepared for higher education make the cut. He also reiterated JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy for malpractice, noting that over 100,000 results were still being reviewed due to suspicions of cheating or technical irregularities.
In response to public speculation that JAMB may lower the minimum admission benchmark due to mass failure, Oloyede dismissed such assumptions. “We will not compromise standards,” he said. “If candidates fail to meet the cut-off marks, institutions may have to explore alternative admissions like part-time or diploma programmes.”
He warned against the growing trend of emotional responses to results and called on the media and civil society to support efforts in strengthening educational standards rather than sensationalizing statistics.
