Post-UTME: 21,971 candidates jostle for 13,000 Unilorin admission slots

A total of 21,971 admission seekers applied for the 2025/2026 Post-UTME screening exercise of the University of Ilorin, which commenced on August 28, 2025, and is expected to run till Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Speaking with journalists, the Director of the University Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centre, Professor Kamilu Rauf, said that the exercise, which began with 26 underage applicants, comprised 20,220 candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and 1,751 candidates for Direct Entry (DE).

Professor Rauf also said that this year’s figure reflects an increase over last year’s 15,946 UTME and 1,175 Direct Entry candidates.

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About 12,856 candidates were admitted in the 2024/2025 academic session, he said.

“This year, we recorded an addition of over 4,200 UTME candidates and 576 Direct Entry applicants, which shows that more students are making the University of Ilorin their first choice of institution”.

The Professor of Mathematics attributed the surge in applications to the growing reputation of the university for academic excellence, uninterrupted academic calendar, and efficient administration.

“Our slogan is ‘Better by Far,’ and candidates know that when you come to UNILORIN, four years means four years, and five years means five years, without the disruptions of prolonged strikes”.

Professor Rauf also said that the Post-UTME screening exercise commenced on August 28 with 26 underage candidates out of the 30 expected and will run until September 4, with the final day serving as a mop-up for absentees and candidates for Arabic Studies.

The CBT Director reminded candidates and their parents to adhere strictly to examination guidelines, including dress codes and the prohibition of gadgets such as mobile phones in the examination hall.

He urged parents to avoid crowding the examination venues, stressing that all necessary information is available on the university website: www.unilorin.edu.ng.

Professor Rauf reassured candidates and parents that the university is fully prepared to conduct a hitch-free and seamless exercise, urging all applicants to strictly adhere to the guidelines.

Also speaking, the chairman of the university’s Admissions Committee, Professor Abdulazeez Muhammad-Lawal, described the first day of the exercise as successful, noting that the candidates conducted themselves well.

Professor Muhammad-Lawal said, “We were expecting 30 underage candidates to participate today, but 26 of them actually turned up. The examination went smoothly, and the students displayed commendable discipline”.

He, however, cautioned parents against accompanying their wards to the examination venues, stressing that the process requires biometric verification and must remain strictly candidate-centered.

He explained that while a few parents showed up on the first day, the university would not allow such practices during the main examinations.

In a related development, the University Admission Officer, Mr Abdulkareem Sanni, has assured the post-UTME candidates that they need not know anyone or pay any amount of money to any individual or organisation before they can be offered admission to the University of Ilorin.

The Admission Officer explained that all the candidates needed to do was to have all the requirements for their programmes of choice, as he stressed the readiness of the University to give all the candidates equal opportunities.

Mr. Sanni, who is a Principal Assistant Registrar, explained that admissions would be offered based on the consideration of the Ordinary Level results, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, and the ongoing Post-UTME Screening results.

He added that for a candidate to be eligible for admission into the University, he or she must score a minimum of 180 in UTME and five O-level Credits and must also pass the Post-UTME screening.

While saying that the five O-level Credits should not be from more than two sittings for most of the courses, the Admission Officer said that candidates who applied for Medicine and Surgery, Optometry and Vision Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Computer Engineering are expected to make their five O-level Credits in not more than one sitting.

Mr. Sanni also enjoined all the candidates, who are scheduled to sit the Post-UTME screening, to be punctual for the exercise, dress responsibly, and maintain decorum throughout.