The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of the sale of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The examination body made the disclosure in a post on its X handle on Tuesday night.
“UTME is open to suitably qualified candidates for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session,” the photo statement signed by the Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, stated.
“Registration commences January 2026 and closes March 2026 (exact dates to be announced by JAMB),” the post added, noting that the UTME examination is slated for April 2026.
“The period of registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, is from Monday, 26th January, 2026 to Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” the statement said in part.
JAMB also stated that candidates are required to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) before proceeding with registration.
The board explained that “Only candidates who will not be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 are generally eligible to apply/be considered.”
However, it clarified that “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 will have to undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver. Such must have scored not less than 80% in each of UTME/ALEVEL, PUTME, SSCE, and in the exceptional candidate assessment.”
“The UTME results of the underage candidates will be released only at the conclusion of the complete evaluation process,” JAMB added.
For Direct Entry applicants, the board said the “Sale of 2026 Direct Entry (DE) application documents and E-PIN vending would commence from Monday, 2nd March, 2026, and end by Saturday, 25th April, 2026, and would only be at the Board’s State and Zonal Offices.”
It further disclosed that “The 2026 UTME will commence on Thursday, 16th April, 2026 and end on Saturday, 25th April, 2026,” adding that “Mock-UTME (optional) shall hold on Saturday, March 28th, 2026.”