The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of sales for application forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was made in a statement signed by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on JAMB’s official X account on Tuesday night.
According to the Board, applications are open to suitably qualified candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria for the 2026/27 session. Generally, applicants must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026. However, underage candidates may be considered if they undergo a special evaluation and meet strict academic criteria. “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 must score not less than 80% in each of UTME/ALEVEL, PUTME, SSCE, and in the exceptional candidate assessment. Their UTME results will be released only after this evaluation process,” the statement added.
For UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, registration will run from Monday, January 26, 2026, to Saturday, February 28, 2026. E-PIN vending will start on Monday, January 19, 2026, and end on Thursday, February 26, 2026, with registration closing on February 28.
Direct Entry candidates can purchase application forms and E-PINs from Monday, March 2, 2026, to Saturday, April 25, 2026, exclusively at JAMB State and Zonal Offices.
JAMB outlined three categories of e-PINs: Direct Entry (N5,700), UTME without Mock (N7,200), and UTME with Mock (N8,700). The breakdown of fees includes: UTME/DE application fee N3,500; reading text N1,000; CBT centre registration N700; CBT UTME service charge N1,500; bank charges N500; and CBT Mock-UTME centre fee N1,500.
The Board announced that the 2026 UTME will be held from Thursday, April 16, 2026, to Saturday, April 25, 2026, while the optional Mock-UTME is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026.
