The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that the sale of application forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry admissions will commence on January 26, 2026.
The Board disclosed this in a photostatement signed by its Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on its official X handle on Tuesday night.
According to the statement, applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2026/2027 academic session.
JAMB stated that candidates must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to be eligible for admission consideration.
It, however, made provisions for underage candidates under strict conditions.
The statement read, “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 will have to undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver. Such candidates must score not less than 80 per cent in UTME or A-Level, PUTME, SSCE and the exceptional candidate assessment.”
JAMB added that the UTME results of underage candidates would only be released after the completion of the evaluation process.
On registration timelines, the Board said registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, would run from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, February 28, 2026.
It further disclosed that E-PIN vending would begin on January 19, 2026, and end on February 26, 2026, while registration would close on February 28, 2026.
For Direct Entry candidates, the Board said the sale of application documents and E-PIN vending would commence on Monday, March 2, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The registration would be conducted only at JAMB State and Zonal Offices nationwide.
JAMB announced three categories of E-PINs: Direct Entry (₦5,700), UTME without Mock (₦7,200) and UTME with Mock (₦8,700).
The Board explained that the charges include the JAMB application fee, reading text, CBT centre registration and service charges, bank charges, and mock examination fees where applicable.
On examination dates, JAMB announced that the 2026 UTME would commence on Thursday, April 16, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026, while the optional Mock UTME would hold on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Disclaimer: Comments and opinions on any part of this website are the opinions of blog commenters or anonymous individuals, and do not reflect Strenuous Blog position.