The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has outlined key guidelines and timelines for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), shedding light on registration dates, eligibility conditions, monitoring of centres and procedures for Direct Entry candidates.
The details were disclosed in Lagos on Saturday by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a meeting with Commissioners for Education held ahead of the UTME and Direct Entry exercises.
According to Oloyede, the sale of the UTME application document, known as the ePIN, will commence ahead of the formal registration period. He said the sale of ePINs would start before the actual UTME registration window, which runs from January 19 to February 26, while the main registration exercise will take place between January 26 and February 28 at all approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.
He further explained that candidates interested in participating in the mock examination must make their selection on or before February 16. In addition, the sale of Direct Entry application documents and ePIN vending is scheduled to begin on March 2 and will close on April 25.
The registrar also announced a change in the handling of underage candidates’ results, stating that UTME results for such candidates would only be released after the completion of a full evaluation process. This, he said, is aimed at ensuring a thorough assessment of candidates seeking age waivers.
On monitoring arrangements, Oloyede revealed that all CBT centres involved in the registration exercise would be monitored live from JAMB headquarters. He warned that any centre whose registration activities cannot be viewed centrally would not be paid, and registrations carried out at such centres could be invalidated.
He disclosed that 924 CBT centres have so far been screened and provisionally listed, adding that each centre would still be subjected to a final test before being granted full accreditation.
Clarifying issues around charges, Oloyede stated that candidates are not expected to pay any service fees to CBT centres, stressing that only charges approved by JAMB apply.
Addressing concerns over examination locations, the registrar said candidates would not be posted to towns outside those selected during registration. However, he noted that selecting a group of towns means candidates could be assigned to any town within that group. He therefore advised candidates to register early to avoid losing their preferred choices due to delays.
Oloyede also cautioned candidates to declare any previous registration or admission records with the board, noting that cases of examination malpractice were recorded during the last UTME. He emphasized that running more than one undergraduate programme at the same time is a criminal offence, adding that failure to disclose prior admission would attract sanctions.
On eligibility, the registrar stated that candidates must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to qualify for the UTME and admission consideration. He added that candidates who would be under 16 by that date would only be considered after undergoing a rigorous evaluation process for a waiver, and such candidates must score not less than 80 per cent in each of UTME or A’Level, Post-UTME, SSCE and the exceptional candidate assessment.
