South West Tops 2025 UTME Applications with Over 534,000 Candidates
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the zonal breakdown of applications for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), revealing that the South West zone recorded the highest number of applicants.
According to the official data, the South West led the chart with 534,656 candidates, representing 26.32% of the total applications received nationwide. The North Central region followed with 394,984 applicants (19.44%), while the South South recorded 352,097 candidates (17.33%).
The South East zone had 346,474 applications, accounting for 17.05%, followed by the North West with 240,043 applicants (11.82%).
The North East recorded the lowest number of UTME applications with 163,334 candidates, representing 8.04% of the national total.
The figures highlight regional trends in tertiary education interest and access, with southern zones accounting for a significantly larger share of applications. Education stakeholders have called for increased awareness and investment in northern regions to close the participation gap.
JAMB is expected to continue with preparations for the next phase of the admission process, including the release of results and the Post-UTME screening schedules across institutions.
