Between 2019 and 2023, 5,658 candidates who scored 300 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examinations (UTME) did not secure admissions to tertiary institutions, according to data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Despite high UTME scores, many candidates missed out on admissions due to various factors. Each institution sets its admission benchmarks, and higher scores typically provide an advantage, but this isn’t always enough.
In 2018, 4,683 candidates scored 300 and above, but only 3,683 gained admission, leaving 1,000 without placements. The trend continued in 2019 when 2,967 candidates scored 300 and above; 2,288 were admitted, and 679 were not.
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The pattern was evident in 2020, with 4,948 high scorers, but only 3,492 gained admission, leaving 1,456 candidates without spots. In 2021, out of 715 high scorers, 590 were admitted, while 125 missed out. Many of the rejected applications were for Medicine, Engineering, and Science courses.
In 2022, 5,833 candidates scored 300 and above, but only 3,708 were admitted, resulting in 2,125 missing out. The most recent data from 2023 showed that out of 5,261 high scorers, 3,988 were admitted, leaving 1,273 without placements.
JAMB identified several reasons for these high scorers missing admissions, including wrong O’Level subject combinations, low post-UTME screening scores, non-acceptance of admission offers, application duplication, absence from post-UTME screenings, and mismatched catchment areas.