The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recorded 22,537,451 candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) from 2015 to 2026, according to its latest report. Of this number, 21.26 million registered for UTME, while 1.28 million applied through DE. In 2015, 1,644,072 candidates registered, comprising 1,475,600 UTME and 168,472 DE applicants. Registrations rose to 1,764,859 in 2016, with 1,592,462 UTME and 172,397 DE candidates. The 2017 cycle had 1,882,559 total registrations: 1,722,269 UTME and 160,290 DE. A decline followed in 2018, with 1,793,018 candidates—1,653,127 UTME and 139,891 DE. Numbers increased in 2019 to 1,989,682, including 1,886,509 UTME and 103,173 DE applicants, and further rose in 2020 to 2,110,623, made up of 1,949,983 UTME and 160,640 DE. In 2021, total registrations dropped to 1,428,209, with 1,351,284 UTME and 76,925 DE. A rebound occurred in 2022 with 1,859,532 candidates: 1,761,262 UTME and 98,270 DE. The 2023 cycle saw a fall to 1,635,673, including 1,595,779 UTME and 39,894 DE. Registrations climbed in 2024 to 2,040,018, with 1,992,660 UTME and 47,358 DE. In 2025, 2,093,329 candidates registered—2,031,754 UTME and 62,205 DE. For 2026, JAMB recorded 2,295,877 total registrations, consisting of 2,243,245 UTME and 52,632 DE. During the 2026 annual policy meeting on admissions in Abuja, JAMB and tertiary education stakeholders set 150 as the minimum admission score for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education. Colleges of Nursing also adopted 150 as their admission benchmark.
Students seeking university admission in the 2026/2027 session must score at least 150 to be eligible, as set by JAMB and education stakeholders. Candidates should aim above the 150 benchmark to improve their chances, especially with over 2.2 million UTME applicants recorded in 2026.
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