The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that more than 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement released in Abuja by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the Board confirmed that the sale of e-PINs for the 2026 UTME will officially end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
The e-PIN is required for candidates to proceed to JAMB-accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres to complete their registration process.
While the vending of e-PINs will close on February 26, the Board clarified that candidates who have already purchased their e-PINs will still be allowed to finalize their registration at accredited centres until Saturday, February 28, 2026.
As of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, registration figures had surpassed 1.5 million. However, JAMB noted that despite having the capacity to register up to 100,000 candidates daily, centres nationwide are currently operating at only about 30 percent of their potential.
The examination body expressed concern that many eligible candidates have yet to begin the registration process and warned that there will be no extension of the deadline. According to the Board, the UTME registration timeline is part of a nationally coordinated examination schedule that accommodates other examination bodies, leaving no room for adjustments.
JAMB therefore urged prospective candidates to obtain their e-PINs before the closing date and complete their registration without delay.
The Board cautioned that last-minute rushes often lead to avoidable technical or logistical issues and emphasized that appeals for deadline extensions will not be entertained.
The Board reiterated that the firm deadline is intended to ensure fairness and proper planning within Nigeria’s academic examination calendar while encouraging candidates to act promptly.