JAMB clarifies 2026 UTME/DE rules, allowing enrolled students to register but requiring disclosure of matriculation status to avoid forfeiture

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates currently enrolled in tertiary institutions may register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), provided they disclose their matriculation status. Failure to do so could result in the forfeiture of both admissions.

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In a statement on Wednesday, the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, addressed misleading claims circulating online by “self-styled education advocates” that had caused confusion among candidates and parents.

“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has been drawn to a misleading and unfortunate distortion of a portion of the Board’s clear directives to candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE,” Benjamin said.

“This deliberate misrepresentation is being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests.”

Benjamin stressed that registering for the UTME/DE while already enrolled in an institution is not an offence, but concealing such enrolment constitutes a violation of Board regulations.

“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,” he explained.

The adviser noted that mandatory disclosure helps prevent multiple matriculations and enables the Board to take appropriate action against professional examination takers.

“Although the Board’s system can detect prior matriculation, candidates who fail to disclose stand the risk of forfeiting both opportunities,” Benjamin said.

JAMB’s 2026 UTME registration officially commenced on 26 January, and the Board has implemented strict measures to maintain examination integrity.

Any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre whose registration activities cannot be remotely monitored will be barred from participating, under the policy termed “No Vision, No Registration, No UTME.”