JAMB Releases 2026 UTME Top Scorers as UNILAG Medicine Aspirant Leads with 372 Marks

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the list of top performers in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with an Ekiti-born candidate emerging as the highest scorer nationwide.

At the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday, JAMB announced that Owoeye Jesudunsin, a female candidate who sat for the examination in Ogun State, topped the national rankings with an impressive score of 372 out of a possible 400 marks. Jesudunsin, who has applied to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), was described as the standout performer of this year’s examination cycle.

According to the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the performance of the top candidates reflects a highly competitive year, although the highest score recorded in 2026 fell slightly below the previous year’s record of 375, achieved by Anambra-born Chinedu Okeke in the 2025 UTME.

Jesudunsin’s achievement has drawn significant attention, not only because of her high score but also due to her choice of course, Medicine and Surgery, which remains one of the most competitive programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Her performance places her ahead of thousands of candidates nationwide who sat for the examination with similar aspirations.

In second place was Ikenna Enwere from Imo State, who scored 370 marks. Enwere, who selected Nile University in Abuja as his first choice institution, intends to study Computer Science. His score placed him just two marks behind the overall best performer, underscoring the narrow margins separating the top candidates in this year’s examination.

Closely following in third position was Ayomide Bamisile from Ondo State, who recorded a total score of 369. Bamisile applied to study Software Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), continuing the trend of high-performing candidates showing strong preference for technology-related disciplines.

The remaining positions among the top ten were dominated by candidates who scored 368 and 367, reflecting a cluster of highly competitive performances. These included Olabiyisi Olanrewaju from Oyo State, who applied to Pan-Atlantic University for Mechatronics, Victor-Onyeka Daniel from Imo State who chose Electrical/Electronics Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, and Osagiobare Daniel from Edo State who selected Mechanical Engineering at the University of Benin.

Others in the 368 bracket include Ademiluyi Adebowale from Osun State, who applied to study Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, and Azuike Kenechukwu from Anambra State, who chose Software Engineering at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. Their inclusion reflects the growing concentration of top candidates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related fields.

At the ninth position, three candidates tied with a score of 367. They include Offorkile Michael from Abia State, who applied to study Computer Science at the University of Ibadan, Adebisi Eniola from Ogun State, who selected Covenant University for Computer Science, and Umukoro Gift from Delta State, who chose Electrical/Electronics Engineering at Pan-Atlantic University.

JAMB’s disclosure of the top scorers comes amid continued efforts to standardise admissions and ensure merit-based placement into Nigerian tertiary institutions. The Board reiterated during the policy meeting that while high UTME scores remain important, institutional cut-off marks and post-UTME requirements will continue to play a role in final admissions decisions.

This year’s results also highlight a continued dominance of STEM-related programmes among top candidates, reflecting a broader national trend in academic interest and career aspirations. Medicine, engineering, and computer science-related courses remain the most sought-after options among high-performing candidates.

Education stakeholders have described the results as a positive indicator of academic competitiveness among Nigerian youths, while also noting the increasing pressure on admission slots in top federal universities such as UNILAG, University of Ibadan, FUTA, and UNIBEN, which continue to attract the strongest candidates nationwide.

As admissions processes begin across tertiary institutions, attention is now shifting to how universities will absorb the influx of high-scoring candidates, particularly in oversubscribed courses like Medicine, Engineering, and Computer Science, where demand consistently outpaces available capacity.

Below is a list of the top scorers for the 2026 UTME as released by JAMB during the 2026 policy meeting: