The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned University candidates registering for the 2026 UTME that failing to disclose any existing admission could result in the forfeiture of both offers.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday, January 28, 2026, by Fabian Benjamin, Ph.D, JP, Public Communication Advisor to JAMB.
This is coming amid false narratives circulating online regarding candidates’ matriculation status and compliance obligations.
What JAMB said
According to JAMB, in line with its statutory mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE are required to disclose their matriculation status where applicable.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for record purposes, and in line with its statutory mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, the Board directed that all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE must disclose their matriculation status, where applicable,” they said
- The Board stressed that it is not an offence for a candidate to register for UTME or DE while still enrolled in an institution. However, non-disclosure of such status is considered an offence.
- However, JAMB explained that disclosure means any previous admission automatically ceases once a candidate secures a new admission through the current registration cycle.
“Disclosure simply means that once a candidate secures admission through the latest registration, the former admission automatically ceases to subsist.
“The law is explicit that no candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently,” they said
- The Board added that although its systems can detect prior matriculation, candidates who fail to disclose their status risk losing both opportunities.
Backstory
Some posts circulating on social media claimed that undergraduate students were banned from registering for the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry examinations, suggesting they could not sit the exams while still enrolled in a tertiary institution.
- This narrative was shared widely and generated confusion among candidates and parents about eligibility.
- JAMB described these claims as misrepresentations of its official registration directives being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests
- The Board noted that such individuals routinely emerge at the start of every registration cycle and rush to social media with inaccurate claims to attract attention.
What you should know
In November last year, the examination board introduced the mandatory admission status disclosure for 2026 UTME applicants to prevent impersonation and examination malpractice.
- Findings from JAMB’s 2025 UTME infraction reports showed that many candidates involved in malpractice were already enrolled in tertiary institutions and attempted to manipulate the system for unfair advantage
- As part of the preparatory moves for the 2026 UTME, they conducted a nationwide accreditation of 848 CBT centres to improve security, reduce irregularities and transparency in the examination system.
