Over 1.5 Million UTME Candidates Score Below 200—Is Nigeria’s Education Standard Failing?

The recently released results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have sparked widespread concern as data reveals that of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam, over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is structured to assess candidates across four core subjects, with each subject scored out of 100 marks, culminating in a total possible score of 400. This standardized grading system is designed to evaluate students’ readiness for tertiary education by testing their knowledge in key academic areas.

With only a fraction of students achieving high marks, many are questioning the state of Nigeria’s education system. Is this a sign of declining academic standards, poor preparation, or systemic failure?

Breaking Down the UTME Results

The recently released results by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) reveal concerning trends in candidate performance. According to the data published on Monday, May 5, 2025:

• 983,187 candidates, representing 50.29% of total test-takers, scored between 160 and 199 marks. While this range meets the minimum cutoff for some institutions, it falls short of the competitive thresholds required by most top-tier universities.
• 488,197 candidates (24.97%) performed within the 140 to 159 mark range, indicating a significant portion of examinees struggled to attain even average scores.
• At the lower end of the spectrum, 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139 marks, raising serious questions about their preparedness for university-level academics.

This distribution highlights a troubling pattern:

• The clustering of scores between 140 and 199 suggests systemic issues in learning outcomes rather than isolated cases of poor performance.
• Over 75% of candidates scored below 200, demonstrating widespread underperformance.
• Only a small fraction achieved marks high enough to secure admission into competitive programs.

Why Are So Many Students Performing Poorly?

Several factors could explain this trend:

1. Decline in Quality of Secondary Education

Many public secondary schools lack qualified teachers, proper infrastructure, and updated curricula. Students often graduate without mastering foundational subjects, leaving them ill-prepared for competitive exams like the UTME.

2. Over-Reliance on Exam Malpractice

The issue of examination malpractice in Nigeria’s UTME is not new, but recent developments have brought it into sharper focus. For years, some students, parents, and even schools have relied on unethical shortcuts—including impersonation, question leaks, and bribing invigilators—to artificially inflate scores. This culture of cheating created an illusion of academic success, masking the true state of learning in many classrooms.

How Malpractice Traditionally Worked

In the past, loopholes in exam administration allowed various forms of fraud:

• “Miracle Centers”: Certain schools operated as cheating hubs, where invigilators turned a blind eye or even supplied answers during tests.
• Impersonation: Candidates paid smarter students to write exams on their behalf.
• Corrupt Officials: Some JAMB staff and exam center operators colluded to manipulate results for a fee.

These practices distorted performance metrics, enabling undeserving candidates to secure university admission while genuinely prepared students sometimes lost spots to fraudsters.

3. Inadequate Preparation and Poor Study Culture

With distractions from social media, economic hardship, and a lack of motivation, many students do not dedicate enough time to serious study. Some depend on last-minute cramming rather than deep learning.

4. Socio-Economic Challenges

The stark underperformance of over 1.5 million UTME candidates cannot be divorced from Nigeria’s harsh socioeconomic realities. Beyond individual effort, systemic factors—deep poverty, worsening insecurity, and chronic academic disruptions—create a perfect storm that sabotages learning long before students ever sit for exams.

a.) Poverty: The Silent Killer of Academic Potential

For millions of Nigerian students, education is an obstacle course where financial hardship erects hurdles at every stage:

• Learning Materials Deficit: A UNICEF report reveals that only 1 in 4 Nigerian secondary students has access to prescribed textbooks. In rural areas, it’s common to find 5 students sharing a single book.
• Digital Exclusion: With CBT exams now standard, students from low-income families face double jeopardy—many have never used computers before exam day. A 2023 survey showed 62% of UTME candidates in Kano State had less than 3 months of computer practice.
• Nutrition-Intelligence Link: Chronic malnutrition (affecting 37% of under-5s according to NBS) impairs cognitive development, creating lifelong learning disadvantages.

b.) Insecurity: Schools Under Siege

The geography of UTME scores mirrors Nigeria’s security crisis:

• North-East Trauma: Boko Haram has destroyed over 1,500 schools since 2009. In Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, many students take UTME without ever having consistent classroom learning.
• Banditry’s Classroom Toll: Northwest states like Zamfara and Katsina now have “forest schools” where children study in hiding. The psychological toll alone depresses academic performance.
• Abduction Aftermath: Survivors of school kidnappings (Chibok, Kankara, etc.) often develop PTSD, with many dropping out entirely. Those who persevere face disrupted preparation cycles.

5. Digital Divide and CBT Challenges

The shift to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) has disadvantaged students from rural areas with little or no computer literacy, affecting their performance.

What Does This Mean for Nigeria’s Future?

If over 1.5 million students cannot meet the basic UTME cutoff marks, what does this say about the future workforce?

• Lower-skilled graduates may enter universities, affecting the quality of degrees.
• Employability issues may worsen, as many graduates already struggle with job readiness.
• Declining global competitiveness—Nigeria risks falling further behind in education rankings.

Possible Solutions

To reverse this trend, stakeholders must take urgent action:
✔ Improve Teacher Training & School Facilities – Invest in quality education, especially in public schools.
✔ Encourage Critical Thinking Over Rote Learning – The curriculum should focus on understanding, not just memorization.
✔ Expand Access to Digital Learning – Provide computer literacy programs in schools.
✔ Crack Down on Exam Malpractice – Strengthen exam integrity while supporting genuine students.
✔ Government & Private Sector Intervention – More scholarships, free tutorials, and educational grants can help.

Conclusion: A Wake-Up Call for Nigeria

The 2025 UTME results are more than just numbers—they reflect deep-rooted problems in Nigeria’s education system. If over 1.5 million students are scoring below 50%, urgent reforms are needed to prevent further decline.

The question “Is Nigeria’s education standard failing?” demands more than a yes/no answer – it requires a sober examination of multiple warning signs and their underlying causes. The evidence indeed paints a troubling picture, but one that still offers pathways to redemption.