The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the sale of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was made in a statement posted on JAMB’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday night and signed by the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.
According to the statement, the UTME is open to suitably qualified candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session. Registration for the examination will begin in January 2026 and close in March 2026, with exact dates to be announced by the Board.
However, JAMB specified that UTME registration for candidates, including those from foreign countries, will run from Monday, 26 January 2026, to Saturday, 28 February 2026. The UTME itself is scheduled to take place between Thursday, 16 April 2026, and Saturday, 25 April 2026, while the optional Mock-UTME will hold on Saturday, 28 March 2026.
The Board emphasized that all candidates must obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) before registering.
JAMB also stated that only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by 30 September 2026 are generally eligible to apply. However, candidates below the age of 16 may be considered for a waiver after undergoing an intensive evaluation process.
Such underage candidates, the Board explained, must score a minimum of 80 per cent in each of the UTME or A-Level, Post-UTME, Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), and the exceptional candidate assessment. Their UTME results will only be released upon the completion of the evaluation process.
For Direct Entry candidates, JAMB disclosed that the sale of 2026 DE application documents and E-PIN vending will commence on Monday, 2 March 2026, and end on Saturday, 25 April 2026. The process will be conducted exclusively at the Board’s State and Zonal Offices.
