The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it has registered over 1.5 million candidates for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as of Tuesday, 17 February 2026, with just eight days remaining before the registration window closes.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, JAMB confirmed that the sale of electronic PINs, which allows candidates to proceed to accredited centres for registration, will end at midnight on Thursday, 26 February 2026. Actual registration at centres will close on Saturday, 28 February 2026, for candidates who have already purchased their ePINs.
Despite the strong turnout, JAMB disclosed that registration centres across the country are currently operating at barely 30 per cent of their full capacity. The board stated that it has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, suggesting that many prospective candidates have yet to take the step to register.
JAMB was unequivocal in stating that there would be no extension to the registration 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,” the statement read.
The board explained that its registration window was deliberately timed to allow other examination bodies to conduct their own exercises immediately afterwards, meaning there was no available window for an extension, even if it were inclined to grant one.
Candidates were strongly urged to obtain their ePINs before the deadline and head immediately to accredited centres to complete their registration. “Waiting until the last few days may result in avoidable challenges, and the Board will not entertain any appeals for extension after the deadline,” JAMB cautioned.
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