Over 5,000 Students With 300+ JAMB Scores Denied University Admission in Nigeria
More than 5,000 students who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) between 2019 and 2024 were unable to gain admission into Nigerian universities, despite their outstanding results.
This surprising discovery came from data obtained from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Between 2019 and 2024, about 8.5 million candidates sat for the UTME. However, only 2.7 million were admitted into higher institutions, while roughly 5.8 million students could not secure admission.
Why Students Are Not Admitted Despite High Scores
According to JAMB, several issues contribute to the high number of unadmitted candidates, including:
Wrong subject combinations in O’level results
Low performance in post-UTME screenings
Candidates refusing admission offers
Duplicate applications by the same candidate
Missing the screening exercise at schools
Catchment area limitations during admission
This means that even students with top JAMB scores may lose admission chances due to technical or administrative issues.
Yearly Admission Trends
For example, in the 2019/2020 academic session, nearly 1.8 million candidates sat for the UTME, but only around 612,000 were admitted.
This trend continued in the following years, with thousands of qualified candidates left out of the university system.
Calls for UTME Validity Extension
Some education experts are now urging JAMB to extend the validity of UTME results beyond one year, similar to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results.
They argue that students and parents face a heavy financial burden when students must retake UTME every year, especially when they were already qualified but couldn’t get admitted due to factors beyond their control.
Minister Defends JAMB CBT System Amid 2025 Technical Glitches
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has defended the credibility of JAMB’s Computer-Based Test (CBT) system, even after technical issues were reported during the 2025 UTME.
He explained that the problems were caused by a service provider error, not by JAMB itself. The affected candidates are being rescheduled for new exam dates.
Low Turnout at Rescheduled UTME in Lagos
In Lagos, many candidates did not show up for the rescheduled exams at several CBT centres.
At Datforte International School, only 212 and 222 candidates attended the two sessions, even though 250 candidates were expected per session.
Other centres reported the same problem.
Parents and students complained that they received late notifications, with some only getting informed a few hours before their exam time. This led to many students missing their exams or arriving late due to long travel distances.
Some parents also raised concerns that the rushed rescheduling could negatively impact student performance, especially since many candidates are also sitting for the ongoing WAEC exams.
Smoother Exams in Other States
However, in states like Anambra and Imo, the rescheduled exams were conducted smoothly and under tight security.
JAMB officials and security agents were praised for their coordination. Candidates who had verification issues were advised to reprint their exam slips and return on a different day.
What Parents and Stakeholders Are Saying
Many parents and education stakeholders are calling on JAMB to:
Improve its planning and logistics
Give early notifications for rescheduled exams
Make the UTME process more transparent and fair
They believe this will reduce stress and confusion, especially for students already juggling multiple exams.
Conclusion
The growing number of students who pass JAMB but still fail to get admitted highlights serious challenges in Nigeria’s admission system. As calls for reform grow louder, students and parents hope for a better and fairer process in the years to come.
