Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially commenced the process for candidates who may have selected incorrect subjects, or who wish to adjust their choices to correct subject combinations for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
This was disclosed in a notice shared on the Board’s official X page.
The update comes as registration for the 2026 UTME approaches its final deadline, and candidates are urged to complete necessary changes promptly.
What JAMB said
According to JAMB, candidates who wish to adjust their UTME subject combinations can now do so by visiting any accredited centre to effect the changes.
- “This is to inform you that the correction of UTME subjects combination is now available. Kindly visit any of our accredited facilities to effect the change,” the board stated.
The board also notifies that the sale of e-PINs for the 2026 UTME will close at midnight on February 26, 2026.
- “The pin vending for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will close on Saturday, 26th February, 2026.
- “The sale of e-PINs which enables a candidate to proceed to the Centre for registration will end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, 26th February, 2026, while actual registration at accredited centres for those who already procure the e-PIN will cease on Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” they said.
Backstory
The UTME is the annual computer-based examination used to rank candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The 2026 UTME will be held nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026.
Direct Entry registration is scheduled to run from March 2 to April 25.
More details
The Board disclosed that as of February 17, 2026, more than 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered for the 2026 UTME.
Despite having a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, registration centres nationwide are operating at roughly 30% capacity, suggesting that a large number of prospective candidates are yet to complete their registration.
The Board stressed that there will be no extension of the registration deadline, noting that the UTME schedule is part of a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in Nigeria.
What you should know
The Board also dismissed widespread claims suggesting that undergraduates are barred from registering for the 2026 UTME, they however warned candidates registering for the 2026 UTME to disclose any existing admission status, noting that failure to do so could result in forfeiture of both the previous and new admission offers.
- The directive clarified that while it is not an offence for a candidate already enrolled in a tertiary institution to register for UTME or Direct Entry, non-disclosure of matriculation status violates the Board’s rules aimed at preventing multiple admissions.
- JAMB explained that once a candidate secures a new admission through the current registration cycle, any previous admission automatically ceases to subsist, stressing that Nigerian law does not permit candidates to hold two admissions simultaneously.
In a separate compliance measure ahead of the 2026 registration cycle, JAMB mandated the use of Microsoft Camera systems at accredited CBT centres to strengthen identity verification and curb impersonation and image-blending malpractice observed during previous examinations.
The Board warned that centres that fail to comply risk delisting, as it moves to strengthen registration integrity and maintain examination credibility nationwide.
