The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially commenced the sale of application documents for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was made in a photostatement signed by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and released via the Board’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday night.
In the release, JAMB stated that “Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2026/27 academic session.” Okay News reports that the exercise covers candidates seeking admission through both UTME and Direct Entry routes.
The Board reiterated its age requirement, noting that “Only candidates who will not be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 are generally eligible to apply/be considered.”
However, JAMB also created a pathway for exceptional underage candidates. According to the statement, “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 will have to undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver. Such must have scored not less than 80% in each of UTME/ALEVEL, PUTME, SSCE and in the exceptional candidate assessment.”
It added that “The UTME results of the underage candidates will be released only at the conclusion of the complete evaluation process.”
JAMB announced that registration for UTME candidates will run for one month. “The period of registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, is from Monday, 26th January, 2026 to Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” the Board said.
It further explained that “E-PIN vending for UTME begins on Monday, 19 January, 2026, and ends on Thursday, 26 February, 2026, while registration closes on Saturday, 28th February, 2026.”
For Direct Entry applicants, JAMB disclosed that “Sale of 2026 Direct Entry (DE) application documents and E-PIN vending would commence from Monday, 2nd March, 2026 and end by Saturday, 25th April, 2026 and would only be at the Board’s State and Zonal Offices.”
The Board also released the pricing structure for the 2026 exercise, stating that “There will be three categories of E-PINS: Direct Entry (N5,700); UTME ONLY WITHOUT MOCK (N7,200); UTME WITH MOCK (N8,700).”
JAMB provided a detailed breakdown of the fees, saying it includes “UTME/DE JAMB Application Fee N3,500; Reading Text N1,000; CBT Centre Registration Service Charge – N700; CBT Centre UTME Service Charge – N1,500; Bank Charges – N500; CBT Mock-UTME Centre Charge – N1,500.”
The Board also confirmed the dates for the 2026 UTME, announcing that “The 2026 UTME will commence on Thursday, 16th April, 2026 and end on Saturday, 25th April, 2026.”
It added that candidates opting for the mock examination should note that “Mock-UTME (optional) shall hold on Saturday, March 28th, 2026.”
