The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the list of the highest-performing candidates in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with a candidate seeking admission into the University of Lagos (UNILAG) emerging as the overall best scorer nationwide.
The announcement was made during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday, where JAMB presented statistics and performance records from this year’s examination exercise.
According to the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Miss Owoeye Jesudunsin, an indigene of Ekiti State who sat for the examination in Ogun State, recorded the highest score in the country with an impressive 372 marks out of the obtainable 400.
JAMB disclosed that Jesudunsin selected Medicine and Surgery as her preferred course of study and chose the University of Lagos as her first-choice institution.
Her outstanding performance placed her ahead of thousands of candidates who participated in the nationwide examination conducted across accredited Computer-Based Test centres.
Despite emerging as the top scorer for 2026, her result falls slightly below the highest mark recorded in the 2025 UTME, when Anambra-born Chinedu Okeke achieved a score of 375.
This year’s result, however, has continued to attract commendation from education stakeholders who described the performance as evidence of academic excellence and hard work among Nigerian students.
Coming second on the list of top scorers was Mr Ikenna Enwere, an indigene of Imo State, who scored 370 marks in the examination.
Enwere selected Nile University, Abuja, as his first-choice institution and indicated Computer Science as his preferred course of study.
JAMB officials noted that his performance placed him among the most outstanding science-oriented candidates in this year’s examination.
Closely following in third position was Ayomide Bamisile from Ondo State, who scored 369 marks.
Bamisile applied to study Software Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), one of Nigeria’s leading institutions for science and technology education.
The release of the top candidates formed part of deliberations at the annual policy meeting where key decisions relating to admissions into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions are discussed.
The policy meeting traditionally brings together vice chancellors, rectors, provosts, heads of regulatory agencies, and officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to determine admission benchmarks and review examination processes.
During the session, JAMB reiterated its commitment to maintaining transparency, merit, and fairness in the admission process while also improving the integrity of public examinations in Nigeria.
Professor Oloyede commended candidates who distinguished themselves in the examination and urged tertiary institutions to continue promoting academic excellence.
He also stressed the need for students to combine intelligence with discipline and ethical conduct throughout their academic journey.
Education analysts have described the performance of the leading candidates as a reflection of growing competition among students seeking admission into highly competitive courses such as Medicine, Computer Science, and Software Engineering.
Many observers also noted the increasing dominance of science and technology-related courses among top-performing candidates, reflecting changing career interests among Nigerian youths.
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the policy meeting also discussed broader issues affecting tertiary education admissions, including examination malpractice, admission quotas, institutional capacity, and access to higher education.
JAMB further assured candidates and parents that the board would continue to strengthen its technological systems to ensure credibility in future UTME exercises.
The board added that institutions would soon begin processing admissions in line with the guidelines agreed upon during the policy meeting.
With the release of the top scorers, attention is now expected to shift to the commencement of admission screening exercises by universities and other tertiary institutions across the country.
Many candidates who performed strongly in the examination are expected to compete for limited spaces in highly sought-after institutions and courses in the coming months.
