The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that it spent ₦113.8 million on supervising the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination across seven foreign centres.
According to The PUNCH, the board conducted the examination in Buea (Cameroon), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), London (United Kingdom), Johannesburg (South Africa), Lome (Togo), Cotonou (Benin Republic), and Accra (Ghana) on July 12, 2025.
JAMB explained that the decision to hold the UTME in foreign countries aims to promote the international visibility of Nigerian tertiary institutions and to attract international students to study in Nigeria.
“This initiative has not only given global exposure to Nigerian universities but also drawn attention from foreign students who now show increased interest in seeking admission into Nigerian institutions,” the board said in a statement.
The board also announced that it has integrated international student enrolment as a key metric in determining the recipients of its National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award (NATAP M-Award). The award recognises institutions that perform excellently in student recruitment, particularly from outside Nigeria.
“In line with this vision, JAMB has now adopted the number of international students admitted into each institution as a critical factor for the NATAP M-Award,” the statement noted.
The board revealed that a similar foreign UTME was organised in eight countries in 2024, including London, Jeddah, Accra, Cotonou, Johannesburg, Banjul (Gambia), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Cameroon, as part of ongoing efforts to internationalize Nigeria’s higher education.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has consistently emphasized the board’s commitment to expanding access and strengthening Nigeria’s image in the global education space.
