In a significant shift from previous years, the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) saw a higher number of female candidates take the Exams compared to their male counterparts. JAMB’s Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, announced this milestone during a press conference held at the board’s headquarters in Bwari, on the outskirts of Abuja.
According to Oloyede, over 1.94 million candidates registered and participated in the examination across 118 towns and over 700 centres nationwide. The examination, which spanned from April 19th to April 29th, saw a total of 1,904,189 candidates sitting for the UTME over the six-day period, with 80,810 candidates being absent.
Out of the 1,842,464 released results, only a small fraction, approximately 0.4%, scored above 300, while 24% scored 50% (200/400) and above. Notably, 76% of the candidates, totaling 1,402,490, scored below 200. Despite this, JAMB reiterated its stance against publishing the names of the highest-scoring candidates, emphasizing that the UTME serves primarily as a ranking examination.
A breakdown of the candidates revealed a significant increase in female enrollment, with 1,007,275 females representing 50.6% of the total candidates, compared to 982,393 males representing 49.4%. This marks the first time in three years that female candidates have outnumbered their male counterparts.
Furthermore, out of the total registrations, 3,164 were persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), indicating a 36.2% increase in PLWD enrollment compared to the previous year.
JAMB also provided instructions for candidates to check their results, advising them to text “UTMERESULT” to either 55019 or 66019 using the phone numbers they used for registration. This streamlined process eliminates the need for candidates to visit CBT centres or cybercafés to check their results.
Overall, the 2024 UTME saw notable shifts in candidate demographics and scoring patterns, reflecting ongoing changes in educational participation and performance trends across Nigeria.
