Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has issued a firm reminder that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination will end in just 17 days, with officials emphasizing that no extensions will be granted despite sluggish participation at accredited centers across the country. The deadline, set for Thursday, February 26, 2026, comes amid warnings from the board about deliberate attempts by examination cheats to mislead candidates into delaying their sign-ups, potentially to enable malpractice.
In a weekly bulletin posted on its official website on Monday, the board expressed frustration over the low turnout observed at many registration points, even though the process has been active for over two weeks. “This recurring pattern, where candidates deliberately wait until the last minute and subsequently agitate for an extension, will not be entertained,” the bulletin stated. Officials attributed part of the delay to misinformation spread by individuals posing as tutorial center operators and known examination fraudsters, who allegedly advise prospects to hold off in hopes of forcing a longer window that could facilitate group movements to compromised centers.
The registration exercise kicked off on Monday, January 26, 2026, and was designed to span five weeks, providing ample time for eligible candidates to complete the process. According to the board, approximately one million individuals have already shown interest in the exam, with many having obtained their electronic Personal Identification Numbers needed to proceed. However, the board urged the remaining prospects to act swiftly, noting that any extension would disrupt its tightly coordinated operational calendar, which aligns with schedules of other national examination bodies. “Any extension would disrupt this coordinated schedule and encroach on timelines already allocated to other national examinations,” the bulletin explained.
JAMB’s stance aims to safeguard genuine candidates from falling prey to scams, the board added, highlighting that false claims of impending extensions are part of tactics to undermine the process. “JAMB is fully aware of these deliberate tactics and has factored them into its planning. There will be no extension of the registration period,” it affirmed, encouraging applicants to ignore such rumors and register promptly to avoid last-minute rushes that often lead to technical glitches or incomplete submissions.
The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, administered annually by JAMB, serves as the primary gateway for admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Established by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Act of 1978 under the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, the body was created to standardize entrance examinations and reduce the burden on individual institutions, which previously conducted their own tests. This move addressed widespread complaints of inconsistencies, favoritism, and logistical challenges in the post-independence era, when Nigeria’s higher education system expanded rapidly following the creation of new universities in the 1960s and 1970s.
Initially, JAMB oversaw the University Matriculation Examination for degree programs and the Monotechnics, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education Examination for non-degree institutions. In 2010, these were merged into the UTME to streamline operations and enhance efficiency, a reform driven by recommendations from stakeholder consultations amid growing enrollment pressures. Over the years, the exam has grown significantly: in 1980, about 100,000 candidates sat for the tests, but by 2023, registrations exceeded 1.8 million, reflecting Nigeria’s youthful population—over 60% under 25 years old, per National Population Commission data—and increasing demand for tertiary education.
However, the process has been plagued by persistent issues of malpractice, including impersonation, result manipulation, and the use of “miracle centers” where candidates pay for guaranteed high scores. A 2019 investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission revealed over 200 arrests related to UTME fraud, with syndicates operating across states like Anambra, Edo, and Lagos. In response, JAMB introduced biometric verification in 2015, mandatory use of Closed-Circuit Television cameras at centers in 2018, and the National Identity Number linkage in 2020 to curb multiple registrations. Despite these measures, the 2023 UTME saw 84 centers sanctioned for irregularities, affecting thousands of results, as documented in the board’s annual report.
Registration extensions have been a contentious feature in past cycles. For the 2021 UTME, the initial deadline was extended by two weeks due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and network failures during NIN integration, leading to over 1.4 million registrations. Similarly, in 2022, a one-week extension was granted amid public outcry over technical hitches, but JAMB’s registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has since vowed to enforce stricter timelines to prevent exploitation. Oloyede, appointed in 2016, has been credited with recovering over N50 billion in unremitted funds from previous administrations and implementing cost-saving technologies, boosting the board’s revenue from N52 million in 2016 to N34 billion by 2022, according to audited financial statements.
The 2026 exercise builds on these reforms, with JAMB introducing enhanced cybersecurity protocols to protect candidate data amid rising cyber threats—Nigeria recorded over 5,000 data breaches in 2023 alone, per the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. The board has accredited over 700 Computer-Based Test centers nationwide, equipped with backup power and high-speed internet to minimize downtimes. Fees remain at N7,700, including the mock exam option, with concessions for visually impaired candidates.
Related developments include JAMB’s recent caution against false information that could jeopardize admissions, as outlined in a separate advisory where it warned, “False information can cost you admission.” Other national news touches on education, such as an All Progressives Congress chieftain offering scholarships to Osun students in nursing and related fields, and the National Orientation Agency conducting its 2026 staff promotion exams across the country.
As the clock ticks down, education stakeholders, including the National Association of Nigerian Students, have echoed JAMB’s call for timely registration, noting that delays often disproportionately affect rural and low-income applicants who face travel and connectivity barriers. With Nigeria’s tertiary gross enrollment ratio at just 12%—far below the global average of 40%, according to UNESCO data—the UTME remains a critical bottleneck, underscoring the need for orderly processes to ensure equitable access.
