JAMB Announces January 26 Start Date for 2026 UTME Registration

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will commence on January 26 and end on February 28, 2026, nationwide.

The announcement was made in Lagos on Saturday during a meeting with State Commissioners for Education ahead of the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) exercises. JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, outlined the registration timelines and guidelines for candidates and Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.

According to Oloyede, the sale of UTME application documents, known as the ePIN, will begin earlier than the actual registration period, running from January 19 to February 26, 2026. He noted that candidates can only complete registration at approved CBT centres across the country.

“The actual UTME registration period is from January 26 to February 28 at all approved CBT centres,” the registrar said.

He added that the window for selecting the optional mock examination will close on February 16. Oloyede further disclosed that the sale of Direct Entry application documents and ePIN vending would begin on March 2 and end on April 25, 2026.

On monitoring and accreditation, the JAMB boss said all CBT centres participating in the registration exercise would be monitored live from the board’s headquarters. He warned that centres whose activities cannot be monitored would face sanctions, including non-payment and possible invalidation of registrations conducted.

Oloyede revealed that 924 CBT centres have been provisionally listed, noting that they would undergo final tests before full accreditation.

He also clarified that candidates are not required to pay any service charges to CBT centres, stressing that only fees approved by JAMB should be paid.

On admission requirements, the registrar stated that candidates must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to be eligible for admission. He explained that underage candidates would undergo a rigorous evaluation process before any waiver is granted, and their UTME results would only be released after the evaluation is completed.

Oloyede advised candidates to register early to avoid being posted to examination towns outside their preferred locations. He also warned candidates against concealing previous admission or registration records, noting that it is a criminal offence to run more than one undergraduate programme simultaneously.

JAMB has also released detailed guidelines for the 2026 UTME registration, including the requirement for candidates to possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) and a functional email address.