Between 2019 and 2022, about 6.9 million candidates took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Only 2.03 million were admitted to various tertiary institutions, leaving 4.87 million without admission.
Out of the 4.87 million candidates who did not secure admission, 4,385 of them scored 300 or more out of 400.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board data, analyzed by a correspondent, revealed this on Thursday.
The UTME, organized by JAMB, is the only acceptable exam for admission into Nigeria's tertiary institutions.
Some institutions may conduct post-UTME, but JAMB's verified result is a must for admission.
JAMB listed various factors responsible for the low admission rate, noting that even candidates with scores as high as 300 failed to get admitted.
The UTME is based on four subject combinations, each marked over 100.
While students can choose their subject combinations, English is a must for admission into Nigeria's tertiary education system.
In 2019, 1,792,719 candidates took the UTME, with 612,557 offered admission, leaving 1,180,162 without admission.
In 2020, 1,949,983 candidates sat the UTME, but only 551,553 were admitted, leaving 1,398,430 without admission.
In 2021, 1,400,000 candidates took the exam, and 312,666 were admitted while 1,087,333 did not secure admission.
In 2022, 1,800,000 candidates took the UTME, but only 557,625 were admitted, leaving 1,242,375 without admission.
Even with a surge in the number of candidates that sat the 2022 UTME, only 557,625 were admitted, leaving 1,242,375 without admission.
Further analysis of the data revealed that 4,385 candidates who scored 300 or more in the UTME across the years failed to gain admission.
According to The PUNCH, candidates with higher UTME scores are believed to have advantages even though institutions set their cut-off marks.
In 2019, 2,967 candidates scored 300 or more, with 2,288 of them admitted and 679 denied admission.
In 2020, 4,948 students scored 300 or more. Among them, 3,492 were admitted, and 1,456 were denied admission.
A total of 715 candidates got 300 or more marks in the 2021 exams but only 590 were accepted, while 125 were refused admission. JAMB said that 35 out of the 125 candidates who were refused admission applied to study Medicine and Surgery.
A total of 64 applied for engineering courses; one for education; 18 for science courses.
In 2022, a total of 5,833 got 300 or more marks. While 3,708 were accepted, 2,125 failed to get admission into tertiary institutions.
JAMB’s explanation
In response to why candidates, even those with high scores, fail to get admitted, JAMB, in the documents obtained, listed “Wrong O’Level subject combination; low post-UTME screening score; non-acceptance of admission offer; duplication of application; absence from post-UTME screening and mismatch of catchment.”
