ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A total of 22,537,451 candidates registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry between 2015 and 2026, according to figures released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Data obtained from the board on Saturday showed that the registration figures span the 2015 to 2026 cycles, with the 2026 Direct Entry exercise still ongoing at the time of compilation.
The breakdown indicated that UTME dominated registrations over the years, with about 21.26 million candidates, while Direct Entry accounted for approximately 1.28 million applicants.
In 2015, a total of 1,644,072 candidates registered, made up of 1,475,600 UTME candidates and 168,472 DE applicants.
The 2016 cycle recorded an increase to 1,764,859 registrations, with UTME accounting for 1,592,462 and DE for 172,397.
In 2017, the total stood at 1,882,559, comprising 1,722,269 UTME and 160,290 DE candidates.
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A slight decline was recorded in 2018, with 1,793,018 candidates, including 1,653,127 UTME and 139,891 DE.
The figure rose again in 2019 to 1,989,682, with 1,886,509 UTME and 103,173 DE applicants, before climbing further in 2020 to 2,110,623, comprising 1,949,983 UTME and 160,640 DE candidates.
In 2021, registrations dropped to 1,428,209, with 1,351,284 UTME and 76,925 DE candidates.
A rebound followed in 2022, when 1,859,532 candidates registered, including 1,761,262 UTME and 98,270 DE.
In 2023, the figure dipped again to 1,635,673, with 1,595,779 UTME and 39,894 DE candidates.
The 2024 cycle recorded 2,040,018 registrations, made up of 1,992,660 UTME and 47,358 DE candidates.
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In 2025, registrations increased slightly to 2,093,329, comprising 2,031,754 UTME and 62,205 DE candidates.
For 2026, the board reported 2,295,877 registrations, with 2,243,245 UTME and 52,632 DE candidates.
Meanwhile, JAMB and stakeholders in the tertiary education sector have approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for university admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The decision was reached during the 2026 annual policy meeting on admissions held in Abuja, where stakeholders also fixed 100 as the benchmark for polytechnics and colleges of education, while Colleges of Nursing set 150 as their minimum requirement.