The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed the most preferred universities in Nigeria for the 2025 admission cycle. Lagos State University (LASU), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) topped the list as the institutions with the highest number of first-choice applicants.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, shared these statistics on Tuesday in Abuja during the 2025 policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions. If you applied to any of these schools, keep in mind that competition for admission slots will be very high.
Top 10 Most Sought-After Universities in 2025 UTME
Here is the breakdown of the top ten universities and the exact number of UTME applications they received:
| Rank | University | Number of Applicants |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos State University (LASU) | 70,080 |
| 2 | University of Lagos (UNILAG) | 58,645 |
| 3 | University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) | 56,758 |
| 4 | Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) | 52,108 |
| 5 | Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) | 51,487 |
| 6 | University of Ibadan (UI) | 47,571 |
| 7 | University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) | 46,273 |
| 8 | University of Benin (UNIBEN) | 45,868 |
| 9 | Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) | 45,777 |
| 10 | Federal University, Lafia (FULAFIA) | 42,962 |
What This Means for Aspirants
With tens of thousands of candidates competing for limited spaces in these ten universities, your Post-UTME score and O'level grades will play a huge role in determining your admission status. To give yourself a strong edge in the upcoming screening exercises, start practicing early with the Mentra JAMB CBT app and Post-UTME prep tools, available on both Android and iOS.
Published by Mentra Academic Research
Every study guide, syllabus analysis, and timing breakdown is cross-checked against official examination criteria (JAMB UTME, POST-UTME, and WAEC) by subject matter specialists.
