The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that more than 22.5 million candidates registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry programmes between 2015 and 2026.
According to official statistics released by JAMB, a total of 22,537,451 candidates registered during the period, with UTME accounting for the overwhelming majority of applications.
UTME Registrations Dominate JAMB Records
The report showed that approximately 21.26 million candidates registered for UTME, while about 1.28 million applied through Direct Entry between 2015 and 2026.
The figures, obtained while the 2026 Direct Entry registration process was still ongoing, highlighted the growing demand for tertiary education admissions in Nigeria.
Breakdown of JAMB Registrations From 2015 to 2026
JAMB’s yearly statistics revealed fluctuating registration patterns across the years:
- 2015: 1,644,072 total registrations
- 2016: 1,764,859 registrations
- 2017: 1,882,559 registrations
- 2018: 1,793,018 registrations
- 2019: 1,989,682 registrations
- 2020: 2,110,623 registrations
- 2021: 1,428,209 registrations
- 2022: 1,859,532 registrations
- 2023: 1,635,673 registrations
- 2024: 2,040,018 registrations
- 2025: 2,093,329 registrations
- 2026: 2,295,877 registrations
The 2026 registration cycle recorded the highest number of applications within the 12-year period.
JAMB Approves New Admission Benchmarks
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the education sector recently approved new minimum admission benchmarks for the 2026/2027 academic session during JAMB’s annual policy meeting held in Abuja.
The meeting adopted:
- 150 as the minimum benchmark for universities
- 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education
- 150 for Colleges of Nursing
The decision is expected to guide admission processes across tertiary institutions nationwide.
Rising Demand for Higher Education
Education analysts say the steady increase in UTME registrations reflects the rising number of young Nigerians seeking admission into universities and other higher institutions despite economic and infrastructure challenges.
The latest figures also underscore the growing pressure on Nigeria’s tertiary education system to provide more admission spaces and improve learning facilities.
