Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, a 16-year-old candidate from Ekiti State, has emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), recording 372 out of 400 marks.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced the result during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday. JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, presented the list of top-performing candidates.
Daniella, who sat for the examination in Ogun State, is seeking admission to study Medicine and Surgery at University of Lagos.
Her score breakdown showed 98 in English Language, 98 in Chemistry, 94 in Physics and 82 in Biology.
Speaking on her performance, Daniella said this was her second attempt at the UTME after experiencing technical issues during the 2025 examination.
This isn’t my first UTME. I graduated from secondary school last year, so I sat for the UTME last year. I couldn’t gain admission due to the glitches I experienced in my exam centre, which affected my result,” she said.
She added that her preparation for the 2026 examination began during her previous attempt and credited her school, EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School, for supporting her academic journey.
According to her, she set a target score above 370 and chose UNILAG because of its reputation in medical education.
“I chose Medicine and Surgery because of my interest in providing medical support for the sick, relieving pain and helping people live healthier lives,” she said.
JAMB’s ranking also showed that Enwere Kingsley Ikenna from Imo State placed second with a score of 370. He applied to Nile University to study Computer Science.
Bamisile Ayomide Emmanuel from Ondo State came third with 369 marks and applied to Federal University of Technology Akure to study Software Engineering.
Five candidates scored 368 marks. They include Olabiyisi Olanrewaju Oluwatimileyin, who applied to Pan-Atlantic University for Mechatronics Engineering; Victor-Onyeka Daniel Ifeanyi, who selected University of Port Harcourt for Electrical/Electronics Engineering; and Osagiobare Daniel Osahenrumwen, who applied to University of Benin for Mechanical Engineering.
Others in the 368 category are Ademiluyi Adebowale Anthony, who applied to Obafemi Awolowo University for Computer Engineering, and Azuike Kenechukwu Anthony, who chose Afe Babalola University for Software Engineering.
Three other candidates scored 367 marks, including Offorkile Michael Okechukwu, who applied for Computer Science; Adebisi Eniola Sonari, who selected Covenant University for Computer Science; and Umukoro Gift Orhenevovwero, who applied to the University of Lagos for Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
