The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has set January 26, 2026, as the start date for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration, with the exercise closing on February 28, 2026.
JAMB warned that the registration period will not be extended under any circumstances. "All candidates are advised to complete their registration exercise within the timeframe as the Board will not extend the registration period."
E-PIN vending for UTME begins earlier on January 19, 2026, giving candidates about eight days to purchase their e-PINs before registration officially opens. For Direct Entry candidates, both e-PIN sales and registration run from March 2 to April 25, 2026.
Direct Entry registration will be conducted exclusively at JAMB State and Zonal Offices, not at CBT centres.
The optional Mock UTME is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026. The main examination will run from Thursday, April 16 to Saturday, April 25, 2026, spanning ten days across Nigeria.
JAMB emphasised that candidates will write in their chosen examination towns only. "JAMB does not post any candidate to any examination town other than the one chosen by the candidate at the point of registration."
JAMB maintained its 16 year age requirement, only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are eligible. However, exceptional underage candidates who score 80% in UTME, A-Level, PUTME, SSCE, and an exceptional candidate assessment may qualify for a waiver.
Registration can only be done at JAMB approved CBT centres. The old NIPOST and group school based registration systems have been discontinued.
All candidates must read "The Lekki Headmaster" by Kabir Alabi Garba, as questions from this text will appear in the general paper.
Nigerian candidates abroad can register and write in ten foreign cities: Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Benin, Cotonou, Jeddah, Johannesburg, London, Malabo, and Ouagadougou. The fee is $30 USD or local equivalent.
Before registration, candidates must generate a profile code by sending their NIN via SMS to 55019 or 66019. Type "NIN [space] [11-digit NIN]" and receive a 10 character profile code.
The Board warned that profile codes are strictly personal and cannot be transferred. Non candidates, including parents, are not allowed to transact business on candidates' profiles.
JAMB issued strong warnings against multiple registration, stating that all registrations will be cancelled for candidates who register more than once.
