The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has refuted claims that UTME candidates cannot sit for the main examination outside the state where they registered, describing the report as misleading.
This was disclosed in a statement by Fabian Benjamin, Ph.D., Public Communication Advisor (PCA) of JAMB.
The clarification comes after a prior report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had quoted Dr. Fabian Benjamin assuring candidates that for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), “no one will be required to sit for the exam outside their state of registration.”
Dr. Benjamin emphasized that candidates can register from any location and freely select any town across Nigeria as their examination venue.
“Candidates are not restricted to taking the examination within their state of registration.
They have the flexibility to register anywhere in the country and select any town nationwide from any registration point,” he said.
Candidates are free to choose exam towns nationwide
He explained that Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres are organized by towns for convenience and not by state.
“For example, if a candidate selects Garki as their examination town, they must take the exam in a centre within the town and cannot be posted outside the town as has been alleged at times.”
Benjamin said the clarification was necessary to dispel misinformation and reassure candidates, especially those who have chosen examination towns outside their state of registration, ahead of the 2025 UTME, which begins on April 25.
“It is crucial to rectify this misunderstanding to prevent confusion among candidates. Those who have registered for the UTME and selected examination towns outside their state of registration are indeed permitted to sit for the examination in their chosen towns.
Candidates have the freedom to select their examination town from any location across the country, regardless of their state of registration.
For instance, a candidate can register in Lagos and opt to take the examination in Sokoto or any other location,” he said.
What you should know
The board announced the release of 115,735 results from the 2025 Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while 10,446 results are still being processed across Nigeria.
According to JAMB, a total of 200,113 candidates registered for the 2025 Mock UTME conducted on April 10, but only 126,181 sat for the exam. Of these, 115,735 results have been released, while 10,446 are still being processed.
The examination board recently launched decoy websites designed to trap individuals seeking to cheat. These websites, which mimic those operated by fraudsters, were part of a sting operation that exposed at least 180 candidates who paid sums starting from N30,000 for leaked examination questions and fake score upgrades.
