JAMB Sends Warning To CBT Centres As 2026 UTME Registration Commences Monday

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed that registration for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will commence on January 26 and end on February 28 at all accredited Computer-Based Test centres across the country, as earlier announced.

The Registrar of the board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made the disclosure on Saturday in Lagos during a meeting with Commissioners for Education ahead of the 2025 UTME and Direct Entry exercises.

According to him, the sale of the UTME application document, known as the ePIN, will begin ahead of the actual registration process.

“The sale of UTME application document which is the ePIN will start earlier than the commencement of actual registration, which is January 19 to February 26,” Oloyede said.

“Actual UTME registration period is between January 26 to February 28 at all approved CBT centres.”

Oloyede further disclosed that candidates interested in participating in the UTME mock examination must make their selection on or before February 16.

He added that the sale of Direct Entry application documents and ePIN vending would commence on March 2 and end on April 25.

“The close of mock selection is February 16, while the sale of DE application documents and ePIN vending will commence on March 2 and close by April 25,” he said.

The JAMB boss also announced a change in the handling of underage candidates’ results, noting that, unlike last year, their UTME results would only be released after the completion of the entire evaluation process.

He explained that the measure was aimed at ensuring a thorough assessment of candidates seeking age waivers.

CBT Centres To Be Monitored Live

On the monitoring of the registration exercise, Oloyede said all CBT centres involved would be monitored live from JAMB headquarters in Abuja.

He warned that centres whose registration activities could not be viewed from the headquarters would face sanctions.

“Any centre whose registration activities cannot be viewed from the headquarters will not be paid, while such registration may be invalidated,” he cautioned.

Oloyede disclosed that 924 CBT centres had been screened and provisionally listed, stressing that they would still undergo a final test before being fully accredited.

“They will go through the final test before final accreditation,” he added.

No Service Charges, JAMB Warns

The registrar reiterated that candidates were not required to pay any service charge to CBT centres, emphasising that only the registration fees approved by the board were payable.

He also addressed complaints about candidates being posted to distant examination locations, insisting that JAMB does not post candidates outside the towns selected during registration.

Oloyede advised candidates to register early, noting that late registration could reduce their chances of securing their preferred examination towns.

“The choice of a group of towns implies that candidates can be posted to any of the towns in the chosen group,” he explained.

The registrar warned candidates to declare their previous registration and admission history with the board, revealing that some candidates were involved in examination malpractice during the last UTME.

According to him, running more than one undergraduate programme concurrently is a criminal offence.

“Failure to disclose such prior admission is an offence which will be sanctioned,” Oloyede said.

On age eligibility, Oloyede stated that only candidates who would be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, were generally eligible to sit for the UTME and be considered for admission.

He, however, noted that underage candidates would be subjected to a rigorous evaluation process to determine their eligibility for a waiver.

“Underage candidates who will be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026, will undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver, and such candidates must have scored not less than 80 per cent in each of UTME/A’LEVEL, PUTME, SSCE and in the exceptional candidate assessment,” he said.