The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has opened portal for the commencement 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration.
The board in a statement on Monday, urged applicants to register strictly at approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, professional registration outlets, or JAMB offices.
It however warned that patronising unauthorised operators could lead to disqualification or loss of registration details.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who addressed key stakeholders at a consultative meeting, drew their attention to the growing challenge of biodata inconsistencies among candidates.
Prof. Oloyede advised those with errors in their names, dates of birth or other personal details to rectify such issues directly with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) before attempting to register.
According to him, JAMB would rely exclusively on data supplied by NIMC for the 2026 exercise and will not honour corrections submitted through any other channel.
Oloyede disclosed that UTME registration for candidates within Nigeria and abroad would run from Monday, January 26 to Saturday, February 28, 2026, disclosing that the sale of electronic Personal Identification Numbers (e-PINs) commenced on January 19 and would close on February 26, ahead of the end of registration.
For Direct Entry (DE) applicants, the JAMB Registrar said sales of forms and e-PINs would begin on Monday, March 2, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026, disclosing that DE registration would.be conducted solely at JAMB zonal and state offices across the country.
JAMB also released the approved cost structure for the 2026 examination.
According to the board, UTME candidates who will not take the Mock examination will pay ₦7,200, while those choosing to sit for the Mock-UTME will pay ₦8,700. Direct Entry candidates will pay ₦5,700.
The fees, he explained, cover the application form, reading material, CBT registration and examination charges, bank transaction costs, as well as the additional fee for Mock-UTME where applicable.
On the examination calendar, the JAMB registrar announced that the Mock-UTME would take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, while the main UTME was scheduled to run from Thursday, April 16 to Saturday, April 25, 2026.
However, Oloyede has issued a strong warning to CBT centre operators, cautioning them against extortion, overcharging and other sharp practices.
He stressed that any centre found violating JAMB regulations would face licence withdrawal and possible prosecution.
He further reminded CBT proprietors that they would be held accountable for the conduct of all temporary and ad-hoc staff engaged for the exercise, adding that ignorance would not be accepted as a defence in cases of malpractice.
