JAMB registrations hit 22.5 million between 2015 and 2026, with UTME accounting for the highest number of candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that no fewer than 22,537,451 candidates registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry between 2015 and 2026.

Also read: Breaking news: JAMB retains 150 as cut-off mark for universities

Data released by the board and obtained on Saturday showed that the figures were compiled while the 2026 Direct Entry registration exercise was still ongoing.

According to the records, UTME candidates accounted for the overwhelming majority of the JAMB registrations during the 12 year period, with about 21.26 million applicants, while approximately 1.28 million candidates registered through Direct Entry.

The board’s statistics revealed that 1,644,072 candidates registered in 2015, including 1,475,600 UTME candidates and 168,472 Direct Entry applicants.

In 2016, registrations increased to 1,764,859, comprising 1,592,462 UTME and 172,397 DE candidates.

The figure climbed further in 2017 to 1,882,559, with 1,722,269 candidates registering for UTME and 160,290 for Direct Entry.

However, registrations dropped slightly in 2018 to 1,793,018, made up of 1,653,127 UTME candidates and 139,891 DE applicants.

The board recorded another increase in 2019 with 1,989,682 registrations, including 1,886,509 UTME and 103,173 Direct Entry candidates.

In 2020, total registrations rose to 2,110,623, consisting of 1,949,983 UTME applicants and 160,640 DE candidates.

A sharp decline was recorded in 2021 when the board registered 1,428,209 candidates, made up of 1,351,284 UTME and 76,925 Direct Entry applicants.

The numbers rebounded in 2022 to 1,859,532, including 1,761,262 UTME and 98,270 DE registrations.

In 2023, the board recorded another decline with 1,635,673 total candidates, comprising 1,595,779 UTME and 39,894 Direct Entry applicants.

The upward trend returned in 2024 as registrations increased to 2,040,018, including 1,992,660 UTME and 47,358 DE candidates.

In 2025, the board recorded 2,093,329 registrations, made up of 2,031,754 UTME and 62,205 Direct Entry applicants.

For the 2026 exercise, JAMB registrations reached 2,295,877 candidates, comprising 2,243,245 UTME applicants and 52,632 Direct Entry candidates.

Meanwhile, stakeholders in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector recently approved 150 as the minimum admission benchmark for universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.

The decision was reached during the 2026 annual policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions held in Abuja on Monday.

The meeting also adopted 100 as the minimum admission score for polytechnics and colleges of education, while Colleges of Nursing fixed their benchmark at 150.

Also read: JAMB to decide UTME cut-off marks at crucial meeting

Education stakeholders described the latest figures as a powerful reflection of growing demand for tertiary education across Nigeria despite economic challenges and increasing competition for admission spaces.