The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has admitted to errors in the conduct and scoring of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), following widespread outrage over what many have described as a mass failure.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this announcement on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja, revealing that 300,000 candidates will have to retake the examination due to identified technical glitches and scoring irregularities.
Prof. Oloyede, visibly emotional, took full responsibility for the “regrettable oversight,” disclosing that the examination will be repeated in 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in the South-East zone, covering the five states under JAMB’s Owerri Office.
“What should have been a moment of joy for many families has unfortunately turned into frustration due to one or two avoidable errors,” he said.
The announcement follows weeks of public outcry from candidates and parents who criticized the unusually low scores in the 2025 UTME. Many candidates, despite adequate preparation and past academic excellence, expressed disbelief at their results.
Official data shows that over 1.9 million candidates sat for the examination. However, 75% of candidates scored below 200 out of a total of 400 marks.
Only 12,000 candidates scored above 300, a score usually regarded as top-performing. Meanwhile, 983,000 candidates scored between 160 and 199, while nearly 500,000 scored between 140 and 159. Alarmingly, over 2,000 candidates scored below 100.
The unusually low scores have sparked calls for accountability, with education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia reportedly coordinating a class action suit on behalf of affected candidates.
Many Nigerians have raised concerns over the credibility of the examination process, demanding transparency and a complete overhaul of JAMB’s scoring systems.
In response to the backlash, JAMB has launched a comprehensive audit of its examination procedures, focusing on technological failures and scoring inconsistencies. The board has pledged to ensure that affected candidates are treated fairly and that measures will be put in place to restore confidence in the examination process.
As the pressure continues to mount, the future of thousands of prospective university students now hangs in the balance, as JAMB seeks to address the flaws in the 2025 UTME and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s most crucial entrance examination.
