Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is the Nigerian agency responsible for administering the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a standardised test that determines eligibility for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country. By developing and delivering the UTME, JAMB serves as the primary gateway for prospective tertiary students seeking placement in Nigeria’s higher education system, while also providing result verification services to institutions and stakeholders. The board’s mandate includes setting examination syllabi, coordinating test centres nationwide, and ensuring the integrity of the assessment process through secure handling of candidate data and examination materials. JAMB operates under the oversight of the Federal Ministry of Education, functioning as a statutory body that aligns its activities with national education policy and admission guidelines. Its work directly influences the academic trajectories of millions of Nigerian youths each year, positioning it as a central actor in the nation’s education landscape.

In April 2025, JAMB disclosed that the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force arrested twenty individuals suspected of hacking the UTME results, indicating that the suspects are part of a larger syndicate believed to exceed one hundred members that targets examination bodies such as JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO). The board also reported that technical errors disrupted the examination for candidates across 157 test centres located in the Lagos and Owerri zones, affecting approximately 206,610 candidates in Lagos and 173,387 candidates in Owerri, which together represent a substantial portion of the annual UTME cohort. Investigations traced the disruption to an omission in the LAG category of examination items, highlighting a vulnerability in the board’s internal quality‑control procedures. The incident prompted public calls for the resignation of JAMB’s registrar amid growing scrutiny over the board’s ability to safeguard its systems against both cyber threats and operational shortcomings. These events underscore JAMB’s critical role in Nigeria’s education sector while exposing the challenges it faces in maintaining examination security and reliability.