The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) resit, conducted for candidates affected by a technical glitch earlier this year.
In a statement issued on Sunday by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board confirmed that out of the 336,845 candidates rescheduled for the resit, 21,082 were absent. A mop-up exam has now been scheduled for those who missed the test, including candidates without justifiable reasons for their absence.
The resit results were approved following psychometric validation carried out by Prof. Boniface Nworgu and endorsed at a meeting chaired by Prof. Olufemi Peters, the Chief External Examiner. The Board said it has also released the results of under-aged candidates, although these do not qualify them for admission unless backed by court orders.
“As part of the healing process, the meeting resolved that the withheld results of under-age candidates (except where litigation is involved), who performed below the established standards, be released,” the statement said. “Such result does not, however, qualify them for admission.”
In a significant disciplinary move, JAMB announced a one-time waiver for candidates involved in online examination malpractice, including so-called “WhatsApp runs.” While warning that the waiver should not be seen as an endorsement of misconduct, the Board urged candidates to desist from participating in unregulated and unethical online groups.
The examination body also came down hard on corrupt practices at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. Centres implicated in malpractice will be blacklisted and their proprietors prosecuted, especially those involved in biometric fraud or in falsifying candidate identities.
“The meeting condemned the involvement of some CBT centres in perpetrating serious registration and examination malpractices and resolved that all the implicated centres should be blacklisted,” the statement read.
JAMB also criticised the role of unregulated tutorial centres in aiding exam malpractice and called on the government to implement strict regulations to curb their influence. The Board reaffirmed its commitment to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) and announced plans to bring in consultants to improve the registration process.
Reacting to ethnic and regional narratives surrounding the technical issues that marred the original UTME, JAMB condemned what it called “tribal and sectional” interpretations. It urged unity and cautioned against divisive commentary.
“The unfortunate incident is not targeted at any section of the country… such narratives risk exacerbating existing divisions within society,” the Board warned.
On performance statistics, JAMB debunked claims that high-scoring candidates were affected by the cancelled sessions. According to the Board, 99% of those affected scored below 200, with very few reaching a maximum of 217.
One such false claim involved a candidate, Olisa Gabriel Chukwuemeka, who altered his 2024 score and falsely claimed to have scored 326 in the 2025 UTME. His actual 2025 score was 180 before it was withdrawn. The candidate has since deactivated his social media accounts.
The original 2025 UTME results were released on May 9, but following widespread technical disruptions, JAMB announced on May 14 that the results of 379,997 candidates in 157 centres across Lagos and the South-East would be cancelled and retaken.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had emotionally apologised for the technical error, attributing the failure to a faulty server update which prevented proper data upload during the exam’s first three days.
