The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of applications for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) for the 2026/2027 academic session.
In a statement signed by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on the Board’s official X handle, JAMB said the application process is now open to candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The Board stated that applicants must generally be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to be eligible for UTME and Direct Entry.
“Only candidates who will not be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 are generally eligible to apply,” the statement said.
JAMB, however, noted that candidates below 16 years would be subjected to a strict evaluation process before being granted a waiver.
“Candidates below 16 years of age will undergo an intensive assessment to determine their eligibility for a waiver. They must have scored a minimum of 80 per cent in UTME/A-Level, Post-UTME, SSCE, and the Exceptional Candidate Assessment,” it added.
The Board explained that the UTME results of such underage candidates would only be released after the completion of the evaluation process.
UTME registration for both local and foreign candidates will run from Monday, January 26, to Saturday, February 28, 2026. The sale of E-PINs begins on Monday, January 19, and ends on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
For Direct Entry candidates, the sale of application documents and E-PINs is scheduled from Monday, March 2, to Saturday, April 25, 2026. DE registration will be conducted exclusively at JAMB State and Zonal offices.
JAMB listed three categories of E-PINs: Direct Entry at ₦5,700; UTME only (without Mock) at ₦7,200; and UTME with Mock at ₦8,700.
A breakdown of the fees shows that the UTME/DE application fee is ₦3,500, reading text costs ₦1,000, CBT centre registration service is ₦700, CBT UTME service charge is ₦1,500, bank charges are ₦500, while the Mock-UTME centre fee is ₦1,500.
The 2026 UTME examination is scheduled to hold from Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, April 25, 2026. The optional Mock-UTME will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Candidates have been advised to comply strictly with the timelines and complete their registration early to avoid last-minute challenges.