The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of application sales for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
In a statement signed by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on the Board’s official X account on Tuesday evening, JAMB invited applications from qualified candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The Board emphasized that eligibility is generally tied to age, stating, “Only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by 30th September 2026 are usually eligible to apply or be considered.”
However, younger candidates may also be considered under strict conditions. According to JAMB, “Applicants under 16 years by 30th September 2026 must undergo a rigorous assessment to qualify for a waiver. They must achieve a minimum of 80% in UTME/ALevel, PUTME, SSCE, and the exceptional candidate evaluation.” Results for these candidates will be released following this evaluation process.
Registration for UTME candidates, including international applicants, is set to begin on Monday, 26th January 2026, and will close on Saturday, 28th February 2026. E-PIN sales will start on Monday, 19th January 2026, and end on Thursday, 26th February 2026.
For Direct Entry applicants, forms and E-PINs will be available from Monday, 2nd March 2026, until Saturday, 25th April 2026. These forms can be purchased at JAMB State and Zonal Offices only.
JAMB also provided details on E-PIN costs: Direct Entry (N5,700), UTME without mock exam (N7,200), and UTME with mock exam (N8,700). Additional fees include the UTME/DE application fee (N3,500), reading text (N1,000), CBT centre registration (N700), CBT service charge (N1,500), bank charges (N500), and an optional mock-UTME fee (N1,500).
The 2026 UTME is scheduled to take place from Thursday, 16th April, 2026, to Saturday, 25th April, 2026, while the optional mock-UTME will be held on Saturday, 28th March, 2026.
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