With just over a week remaining before registration closes, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that 1.5 million candidates have successfully enrolled for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as of Tuesday, 17th February.
The Board's spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the figures in a statement released on Tuesday, warning that many prospective candidates are still holding back despite ample capacity at registration centres nationwide.
JAMB revealed a surprising gap between available capacity and actual usage, noting that centres are currently processing registrations at barely 30% of their potential.
"The board has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, yet registration centres across the country are currently operating at barely 30% of that capacity. This indicates that a significant number of prospective candidates are yet to take advantage of the opportunity to register," the statement observed.
The examination body maintained its position that the 26th February midnight deadline for ePIN purchases and the 28th February closure for registration at Computer Based Test centres will not change.
"The board wishes to clearly state that there will be no extension of the registration deadline," JAMB stated emphatically.
The Board explained that Nigeria's examination calendar operates on a tightly coordinated schedule involving multiple examination bodies, making flexibility impossible.
JAMB noted that its registration window is strategically scheduled to enable other examination bodies to conduct their own exercises immediately afterwards, leaving no room for any extension.
The warning comes as JAMB attempts to prevent the annual scenario where thousands of candidates rush to register in the final days, creating unnecessary stress and complications.
