Deborah Akinyosoye
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of the sale of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Board said all arrangements had been concluded to ensure a seamless registration process, urging prospective candidates to register only at Board-approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, professional registration centres and JAMB offices across the country.
Speaking at a meeting with critical stakeholders, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq 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 proceeding with UTME registration.
He stressed that the Board would rely solely on data generated from NIMC and would not entertain corrections from any other source.
According to the Registrar, registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, will run from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, February 28, 2026.
He added that e-PIN vending for the UTME began on Monday, January 19, 2026, and will end on Thursday, February 26, 2026, while the registration exercise will officially close on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
For Direct Entry (DE) candidates, Prof. Oloyede said the sale of 2026 DE application documents and e-PIN vending would commence on Monday, March 2, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026. He noted that DE forms would be sold only at JAMB zonal and state offices nationwide.
The Registrar also disclosed that three categories of e-PINs would be available for the 2026 exercise. These include Direct Entry at N5,700; UTME only without Mock at N7,200; and UTME with Mock at N8,700.
He explained that the charges cover the JAMB application fee of N3,500, reading text of N1,000, CBT centre registration service charge of N700, CBT UTME service charge of N1,500, bank charges of N500, and an additional N1,500 for the optional Mock-UTME.
On examination dates, Prof. Oloyede announced 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extortion and selling services above approved rates, cautioning that any centre found culpable would have its licence withdrawn and be prosecuted.
He further advised CBT centre proprietors to avoid engaging staff of questionable character, noting that ignorance would not be accepted as an excuse for any infraction.
According to him, centre owners would be held fully responsible for the actions of their ad-hoc staff during the 2026 UTME exercise.