By Nworisa Michael
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will officially close on February 28, with over 1.5 million candidates already registered.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the board’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB disclosed that the sale of e-PINs will end at midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Registration at accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for candidates who have obtained their e-PINs will cease on Saturday, February 28.
According to the board, as of February 17, more than 1.5 million candidates had successfully completed their registration for the examination, which is scheduled to take place from April 16 to April 25, 2026.
JAMB revealed that it has the capacity to register up to 100,000 candidates daily.
However, current registration levels across centres nationwide are operating at just about 30 per cent of that capacity, indicating that many prospective candidates have yet to complete the process.
The board stressed that there will be no extension of the registration deadline, explaining that it operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in the country.
JAMB advised candidates to obtain their e-PINs before the vending deadline and proceed promptly to accredited centres to avoid last-minute challenges. It warned that appeals for deadline extensions will not be entertained once the registration window closes.
The board stated that the firm deadline is intended to ensure that no serious candidate is excluded due to delays or complacency.
