In the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB) said that over 500,000 entrance spaces were not allocated to applicants, representing 45.48 per cent of the total admission quota.
This was contained in JAMB’s policy document.
According to the study, out of the 1,12 million admission quotas available from the 2019 UTME only 612,557 candidates obtained admission. This number reflects 54 per cent of the year’s overall admission quota.
The paper also showed that, in 2019 , the total quota for all tertiary institutions was 1, 123,514. Of which 612,557 have been used, and 510, 957 are unused.
Quota system
The quota system is a form of selection (for jobs, school enrollment, among others) that allocates certain percentages based on particular qualifications, requirements, or characteristics, such as ethnic or racial background and gender.
This university admission system was introduced in an attempt to admit candidates to university using the federal character politics of the federal government.
The quota reflects the number of candidates who should be admitted into the tertiary institutions in one academic year from each state.
The scheme includes essential elements such as academic merit, which is measured by the scores of the university examination matriculation applicants, and is allocated 45 per cent.
The second element is educationally disadvantaged states with 20 per cent, catchment areas with 25 per cent and Vice-Chancellors’ discretion is 10 per cent.
Therefore, in the admission process, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is directed by these requirements every year.
Breakdown of the unused admission quota by institutional category
In the 2019 UTME, a quota of 1,123,514 was given to all tertiary institutions, out of which 560,613 was allocated to all degree-awarding institutions, 403,225 was given to all institutions that award National Certificate Examination, 145,394 was given to institutions that award National Diploma, while 14,282 was allocated to National Innovative Diploma (NID) awarding institutions.
Out of the 560,613 allocated for the admission of students into Degree Programmes, only 444,947 got admissions. The other 115,666 remained unused.
Also, out of the 403,225 allocated to admit students into NCE, only 69,810 were admitted. 333,415 spaces to admit more candidates remained unused.
Similarly, only 96,423 candidates got admission out of the 145,394 allocation that was given to ND awarding institutions. 48, 971 remained unused.
Finally, only 1,377 candidates also got admissions out of the 14,282 allocation given to NID institutions. A total of 12,905 remained unused.
Top 10 Institutions by admission
According to the document, the 10 leading universities who nearly met their quota are:
1) University of Maiduguri
The University of Maiduguri had 46, 814 number of applications, and a quota of 12,536. The university admitted 12,523.
2) University of Calabar
The University of Calabar had a quota of 12,240 with 44,670 number of applicants. The university admitted 12, 237.
3) University of Benin
The University of Benin had a quota of 13,131 with 78,747 number of applicants. The university admitted only 11, 747.
4) University of Ilorin
The University of Ilorin had a quota 12,227 with 108, 917 applicants. The university admitted 11, 616.
5) University of Lagos
The University of Lagos had a quota 9,663 with 74,725 applicants but it admitted 9,625.
6) University of Port -Harcourt
The University of Port-Harcourt had a quota of 9,181 with 40,285 applicants. The university admitted 9,107.
7) Nnamdi Azikwe University
Nnamdi Azikwe University had a quota of 9,450 with 56,358 applicants. The university admitted only 8,880.
8) University of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria had a quota of 10,500 with 77,325 applications. The university admitted 8,585.
9) Ekiti State University
The Ekiti State University had a quota of 8,123 with 13,248 applications. The university admitted 8,119.
10) Rivers State University
Rivers State University had a quota of 7,850 with 22,582 applicants. The university admitted 7,843.
Reason for the development
The board said meeting the cut off is not enough for admission as students are required to have at least five O Level credits, which must include mathematics and English, in some cases.
The examination board also said apart from over-subscription of some programmes, wrong O Level subject combination, low screening (POST UTME) score, UTME-combination deficiency, non-acceptance of the admission offer, duplication of application, absence from Post- UTME screening, mismatch of catchment institutions and no O Level are other likely reasons candidates were not offered admission.
In an earlier report two-third of about two million Nigerian candidates who applied for tertiary education in 2019 were not admitted across all the educational institutions in Nigeria.
