Jane Salihu
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the sale of forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will commence nationwide on Monday, January 26, 2026.
JAMB announced this in a statement following a meeting between its Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, and critical stakeholders, assuring prospective candidates of a seamless registration process backed by improved service delivery mechanisms.
According to the Board, candidates are to register only at JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the federation, professional registration centres and JAMB offices nationwide.
Prof. Oloyede advised candidates with biodata issues, including discrepancies in names or dates of birth, to resolve such matters with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) before commencing registration, stressing that JAMB would rely solely on data generated from NIMC.
“The Board will not correct or use any data other than the one generated from NIMC,” the Registrar stated.
He explained that UTME registration for candidates within Nigeria and those in foreign countries will run from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, February 28, 2026.
He noted that e-PIN vending for the UTME began on Monday, January 19, 2026, and will end on Thursday, February 26, 2026, while registration closes on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
For Direct Entry (DE) candidates, Prof. Oloyede said the sale of application documents and e-PIN vending would begin on Monday, March 2, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026, adding that DE registration would be conducted only at JAMB zonal and state offices.
The Registrar also announced that three categories of e-PINs would be available for the 2026 exercise: Direct Entry at ₦5,700; UTME only without mock at ₦7,200; and UTME with mock at ₦8,700.
He explained that the charges cover the JAMB application fee of ₦3,500, reading text of ₦1,000, CBT centre registration service charge of ₦700, CBT centre UTME service charge of ₦1,500, bank charges of ₦500 and an optional CBT mock-UTME centre charge of ₦1,500.
On examination dates, Prof. Oloyede disclosed that the 2026 UTME would hold from Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, April 25, 2026, while the optional mock UTME is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, the JAMB Registrar issued a stern warning to CBT centre operators against engaging in fraudulent practices such as extortion and selling forms above the approved price, warning that any centre found culpable would have its licence withdrawn and face prosecution.
He also cautioned CBT operators against employing staff of questionable character, stressing that proprietors would be held fully responsible for any infractions committed by their ad-hoc staff, as ignorance would not be accepted as an excuse.
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