Nigerian Universities Filled 74% of Approved Admission Slots — Report

Nigerian universities have reportedly filled 74 per cent of their approved admission spaces in 2025, while polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions recorded a combined utilisation rate of just 34.3 per cent, a new report has revealed.

The report, as published by the iRead To Live Initiative, said the figures showed a major gap between the number of admission spaces available and the number of candidates who eventually secured places in tertiary institutions.

According to the report, 1,009,736 out of 1,716,154 approved admission spaces across Nigeria were filled in 2025, leaving 706,418 spaces unused.

Universities recorded the highest utilisation rate, with 785,180 of their 1,060,919 approved spaces filled. This represents a 74 per cent fill rate, leaving 275,739 approved university spaces vacant.

By comparison, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions collectively filled only 34.3 per cent of their approved admission slots.

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The report, titled “The Admissions Gap: Who Gets into Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions, and Why It Matters,” said the figures challenged the widely held belief that Nigeria’s tertiary admission challenge was mainly caused by a shortage of available spaces.

“Nigeria’s tertiary institutions did not run out of room in 2025,” the initiative stated, noting that hundreds of thousands of approved spaces remained unused even as many candidates struggled to secure admission.

The policy group attributed the low utilisation of available spaces to a structural mismatch between where admission spaces were available and what prospective students wanted, qualified for or could realistically access.

It said the situation required better data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to establish why admission utilisation differed significantly across institutions and locations.

The initiative urged JAMB to publish privacy-protected admission and performance data broken down by state, local government area, geopolitical zone, gender, subject and institution.

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According to the group, JAMB already collects much of the information through its registration and admission processes, and publishing the data would help policymakers and researchers identify areas where access gaps are most concentrated.

The initiative also called on JAMB to make public the evidence used to determine the collectively agreed UTME cut-off mark.

It said publishing the basis for the decision would help Nigerians better understand the country's admission policies and priorities, particularly in relation to STEM and non-STEM programmes.

The group further recommended that JAMB publish an annual Admissions and Access Report after every admission cycle.

Such a report, it said, should reconcile applicant-level admission data with institutional capacity and provide consistent year-on-year statistics.

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The initiative said this was important because different JAMB datasets could sometimes present different interpretations of the same admission cycle.

The report also raised concerns about JAMB's proposed Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option for computer-based testing.

The initiative urged the examination body to conduct controlled pilot programmes as well as independent security and equity assessments before introducing the policy nationwide.

It warned that the policy should not disadvantage candidates without access to suitable personal devices.

The group also recommended expanding access to CBT and readiness support across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.

It proposed a free preparation module that candidates could access regardless of their location or financial resources, stressing that completing the module should not become a requirement that prevents candidates from registering for the examination.

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The recommendations come as the new JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, begins his tenure ahead of the 2027 UTME cycle.

The report noted that 2,243,816 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, although the 2026 admission cycle had not been concluded when the report was published.

The iRead To Live Initiative said the figures should prompt JAMB and other stakeholders to look beyond the number of candidates seeking admission and examine how available spaces are distributed and utilised across Nigeria's tertiary institutions.

It argued that understanding the admissions gap could help policymakers develop measures that improve access and ensure that approved admission spaces are better utilised