The performance of candidates in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has shown a steady but uneven improvement over the past five years, with the proportion of candidates scoring 200 and above rising from about 13 per cent in 2021 to over 26 per cent in 2025.
The development shows a gradual strengthening of examination outcomes, even as admission spaces in tertiary institutions remain under increasing pressure.
A review of official examination data obtained from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) indicates an upward movement in the number of high-scoring candidates, though it has not been without fluctuations.
While more candidates have crossed the 200-mark benchmark during the period, the rising performance figures are unfolding against the backdrop of tightening admission capacity at Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Although candidates are meeting the benchmark scores required for admission consideration, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education are still unable to absorb the expanding pool of all the qualified applicants.
LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that the gradual rise in UTME performance shows that in 2021, out of 1,312,992 candidates who sat for the UTME, about 168,613 scored 200 and above, translating to a pass rate of approximately 13 per cent using 200 as the benchmark.
That year marked one of the lowest performance thresholds in the five years under review.
The following year, 2022, there was a significant improvement. Out of 1,761,338 candidates, 378,639 scored 200 and above, pushing the pass rate to about 21.5 per cent.
The increase was widely seen as a rebound in candidate performance and adaptation to the computer-based testing system.
In 2023, the upward trajectory continued at a slower pace. About 23.36 per cent of candidates crossed the 200-pass mark, representing roughly 296,000 candidates out of about 1.27 million whose results were processed.
However, in 2024, the pattern showed a slight disruption. Although the absolute number of high scorers increased, the proportion grew only marginally.
Of the 1,842,464 candidates whose results were released, 439,974 scored 200 marks or higher, representing about 24 per cent.
By 2025, the UTME recorded its strongest performance within the five-year window. About 565,988 candidates scored 200 marks or higher out of 1,931,467, pushing the estimated pass rate to over 26 per cent. The development marked a notable peak in candidate performance over the period under review.
For 2026, JAMB has so far released the results of over 1.8 million candidates, with 473,450 reported to have scored 200 marks and above among those who uploaded their O-Level results. This represents an over 26.3 per cent pass rate.
However, JAMB has yet to publish a final national breakdown showing the complete proportion of candidates who crossed the 200-pass mark, making a definitive pass rate unavailable at this stage.
Despite the upward trend, education experts have cautioned that it should not be interpreted as a straightforward improvement in academic standards.
Instead, they said multiple factors may be influencing performance patterns across the years.
They said the increasing adoption of Computer-Based Testing (CBT), wider access to digital learning tools, and greater familiarity with UTME formats are key drivers of improved scores.
They, however, warned that changes in exam structure, question difficulty, and candidate demographics may be contributing to fluctuations.
