The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it has remitted a total of N1,570,671,200 to Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres that participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration exercise.
The disclosure was contained in the latest bulletin released by the Board and signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
This comes as the 2026 UTME, scheduled to hold nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026, draws near.
What JAMB said
According to the board, the payment represents the N700 registration charge collected on behalf of CBT centres from candidates during the UTME registration process
- “The Board has remitted a total sum of N1,570,671,200 to the CBT centres that participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration exercise,” the board said
JAMB noted that it collects the N700 registration charge together with the ePIN registration fee paid by candidates and remits the amount directly to accredited CBT centres on a weekly basis.
According to the Board, the arrangement was introduced to prevent the exploitation of candidates and eliminate the need for multiple payments at different points during the registration process.
Under the system, candidates who purchase the UTME ePIN are not required to make separate payments at CBT centres, and are therefore free to register at any accredited CBT centre of their choice without being restricted to specific centres.
JAMB added that the initiative has significantly reduced cases of unauthorized charges by some centres and has strengthened the adoption of a cashless registration process, particularly among privately owned CBT facilities.
More details
To further strengthen compliance among centres, the Board introduced a policy known as “No View, No Pay.”
Under the policy, payments are only made to CBT centres after verification that the candidates they registered are valid and visible in the Board’s registration system.
JAMB said the policy was designed to curb registration infractions and ensure transparency in the process.
What you should know
Nairametrics earlier reported that a total of 2,243,816 candidates registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination nationwide, with Lagos (321,814), Kaduna (303,498), FCT-Abuja (302,963), and Ogun (137,156) leading the list of states with the highest number of registrants.
The board projected N23.8 billion in internally generated revenue for 2026, an increase of N4 billion from its 2025 target, with N6 billion to be remitted to the Federation Account as operating surplus.
Ahead of the 2026 UTME, JAMB created 1,000 examination centres nationwide, up from fewer than 800 in 2025, to improve access and logistics for candidates.
