By Sunday Apah
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced the start of sales for application forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic year.
This information was released in a statement signed by the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and posted on the Board’s verified X account on Tuesday evening.
JAMB invited applications from qualified candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The Board emphasized an age requirement, stating that only candidates who will be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, are generally eligible to apply. However, exceptions may be granted to younger applicants under strict evaluation conditions.
According to the statement, underage candidates must undergo a thorough assessment to qualify for a waiver.
Such candidates must have scored no less than 80% in UTME/A-Level, PUTME, SSCE, and exceptional candidate assessments.
JAMB further clarified that the UTME results for these underage candidates will only be released after the complete evaluation process is concluded.
Regarding registration timelines, the Board outlined that UTME registration—including for candidates from overseas—will run from Monday, January 26, 2026, through Saturday, February 28, 2026.
E-PIN sales for UTME candidates will begin earlier on Monday, January 19, 2026, and continue until Thursday, February 26, 2026, while the registration period will close on February 28, 2026.
Direct Entry applicants will be able to purchase application forms and E-PINs starting Monday, March 2, 2026, through Saturday, April 25, 2026. These will only be available at JAMB’s State and Zonal offices.
JAMB also outlined three categories of E-PINs with their respective costs: Direct Entry at ₦5,700; UTME without Mock at ₦7,200; and UTME with Mock at ₦8,700.
The fee breakdown includes: ₦3,500 for the UTME/DE application, ₦1,000 for the reading text, ₦700 for CBT Center registration service, ₦1,500 for the CBT Center UTME service charge, ₦500 for bank charges, and ₦1,500 for the CBT Mock-UTME Center charge.
The examinations are scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 16, 2026, and conclude on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
An optional Mock-UTME will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
