By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of sales of application 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 signed by the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and published on the Board’s verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday evening.
JAMB invited suitably qualified candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions to apply, while reiterating its age requirement policy.
According to the Board, candidates must be at least 16 years old by 30 September 2026 to be eligible.
However, under exceptional circumstances, younger candidates may be considered after undergoing a rigorous assessment process.
The statement explained that underage applicants seeking a waiver must score a minimum of 80 per cent across UTME or A-Level results, Post-UTME (PUTME), Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and other assessments for exceptionally gifted candidates.
JAMB added that the UTME results of such candidates would only be released after the completion of the evaluation process.
On registration timelines, the Board disclosed that UTME registration, including for candidates based overseas, will take place from Monday, 26 January to Saturday, 28 February 2026.
Sales of E-PINs for UTME candidates will commence earlier, from Monday, 19 January to Thursday, 26 February 2026, while registration will officially close on 28 February.
For Direct Entry candidates, the sale of application forms and E-PINs will run from Monday, 2 March to Saturday, 25 April 2026. These will be obtainable exclusively at JAMB State and Zonal Offices nationwide.
JAMB also announced the cost of E-PINs across three categories: N5,700 for Direct Entry, N7,200 for UTME without Mock examination, and N8,700 for UTME with Mock.
The fee structure includes N3,500 for the UTME or DE application form, N1,000 for the compulsory reading text, N700 for CBT centre registration services, N1,500 as CBT UTME service charge, N500 for bank charges, and N1,500 for the optional Mock-UTME.
According to the Board, the 2026 UTME is scheduled to begin on Thursday, 16 April and end on Saturday, 25 April 2026. The optional Mock-UTME examination will hold on Saturday, 28 March 2026.
JAMB urged candidates to adhere strictly to the registration guidelines and timelines to avoid disqualification.
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