THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will run from January 26 to February 28 at all approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country.
The JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, made this known in Lagos on Saturday during a meeting with Commissioners for Education ahead of the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) exercises.
He explained that the sale of UTME application documents would commence before the official registration period.
“The sale of UTME application document which is the ePIN, will start earlier than commencement of actual registration which is January 19 to February 26,” Oloyede said.
“Actual UTME registration period is between January 26 to Febuary 28 at all approved CBT Centres.”
He further disclosed that the window for selecting the mock examination would close on February 16, while the sale of Direct Entry application documents and ePIN vending would begin on March 2 and end on April 25.
“The close of mock selection is February 16 hile the sale of DE application documents and E-PIN vending will commence on March 2, and close by April 25,” he said.
Oloyede also noted that, unlike the previous year, the UTME results of underage candidates would only be released after the completion of the full evaluation process, to allow for proper assessment of candidates seeking age waivers.
On monitoring arrangements, he said all CBT centres involved in the UTME registration would be monitored live from JAMB.
headquarters, warning that any centre whose activities could not be viewed would face sanctions.
“Any centre whose registration activities cannot be viewed from the headquarters will not be paid, while such registration may be invalidated,” he warned.
The registrar revealed that 924 CBT centres had been screened and provisionally listed, adding that they would still be subjected to a final test before receiving full accreditation.
“They will go through the final test before final accreditation,” he said.
He also clarified that candidates are not required to pay any service charges to CBT centres, stressing that only the registration fees approved by the board apply.
Addressing complaints about distant examination postings, Oloyede said JAMB does not post candidates to towns outside those selected during registration. He advised candidates to register early, noting that delays could reduce their chances of securing preferred towns.
“The choice of a group of towns implies that candidates can be posted to any of the towns in the chosen group,” he added.
Oloyede further cautioned candidates to truthfully declare their previous registration and admission history with the board, noting that some candidates were involved in examination malpractice during the last UTME.
He also warned that it is a criminal offence to run more than one undergraduate programme simultaneously.
“Failure to disclose such prior admission is an offence which will be sanctioned,” he said.
On age eligibility, the registrar stated that only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are generally qualified to apply for the UTME and be considered for admission.
He added, however, that underage candidates would be subjected to a rigorous evaluation process to determine whether they qualify for a waiver.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.