The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that more than 1.5 million candidates have registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), as it fixed February 26 as deadline for e-PIN vending.
The Board on Wednesday said the sale of e-PINs, which enables candidates to proceed to accredited centres for registration, will close at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
It added that physical registration for candidates who have obtained their e-PINs will end on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB disclosed that as of Tuesday, February 17, over 1.5 million candidates had successfully registered for the examination.
JAMB noted that it has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates but lamented that centres across the country are operating at barely 30 per cent of that capacity.
“This indicates that a significant number of prospective candidates are yet to take advantage of the opportunity to register,” it said.
The Board firmly ruled out any extension of the deadline.
“The Board wishes to clearly state that there will be no extension of the registration deadline. JAMB operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in Nigeria,” it stated.
According to the Board, its registration window is strategically scheduled to allow other examination bodies to conduct their exercises without disruption.
The examination body advised candidates to obtain their e-PINs before the vending deadline and proceed immediately to accredited centres to complete their registration.
JAMB stressed that the proactive notice is to ensure that no candidate willing to sit for the 2026 UTME is denied the opportunity due to delay or complacency.
It urged all prospective candidates to act promptly ahead of the deadline.
