The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the timetable for the commencement of registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB disclosed that UTME registration will begin on Monday, January 26, and run until February 28 at all accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country.
The announcement was made on Saturday in Lagos by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a meeting with Commissioners for Education held ahead of the UTME and Direct Entry registration exercises.
According to Oloyede, the sale of the UTME application document, known as the ePIN, will start earlier on January 19and end on February 26, while actual registration will take place from January 26 to February 28.
He also revealed that the deadline for selecting the optional mock examination is February 16. Meanwhile, the sale of Direct Entry application forms and ePINs will commence on March 2 and close on April 25.
The registrar further disclosed that, unlike previous years, the results of underage candidates who sit for the UTME will only be released after a comprehensive evaluation process. He said this is to ensure proper scrutiny of candidates seeking age-related waivers.
Oloyede issued a strong warning to CBT centres involved in the registration exercise, stressing that JAMB would monitor registration activities in real time from its headquarters. Any centre whose operations cannot be accessed live, he said, would forfeit payment and may have such registrations cancelled.
He added that 924 CBT centres have been provisionally approved for the exercise but noted that all would undergo a final assessment before being fully accredited.
Clarifying issues around registration fees, the JAMB boss emphasized that candidates are not required to pay any additional service charges at CBT centres beyond the officially approved fees.
On examination postings, Oloyede assured candidates that JAMB does not assign them to towns outside their selected locations. He advised prospective candidates to register early, warning that late registration could limit their chances of being posted to their preferred examination towns.
