JAMB Shuts 2026 UTME Registration February 26, Warns No Extension
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announces that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) closes on 26 February, warning prospective candidates that no extension will be granted under any circumstance.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the examination body says the sale of e-PINs, which enables candidates to begin registration, ends at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, 26 February 2026. Physical registration at accredited centres for candidates who already obtain their e-PINs will continue until Saturday, 28 February 2026.
JAMB reveals that more than 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered as of Tuesday, 17 February 2026. However, the board expresses concern that registration centres nationwide are operating at barely 30 per cent of their daily capacity of 100,000 candidates.
“This shows that a significant number of prospective candidates are yet to take advantage of the opportunity to register,” the board’s communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin stated.
JAMB stresses that the registration deadline is final, explaining that it operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar jointly agreed by all examination bodies in Nigeria.
“There is no available window for any extension, even if the Board were inclined to consider one,” the statement says.
According to JAMB, its registration schedule is deliberately designed to allow other examination bodies to commence their own exercises immediately after UTME registration closes. Any extension, it notes, would disrupt the national examination timetable.
The board urges candidates to avoid last-minute registration, warning that delays may result in avoidable challenges.
“The Board will not entertain any appeals for extension after the deadline,” it adds.
JAMB says the early warning is intended to ensure that no candidate genuinely interested in sitting for the 2026 UTME is excluded due to delay or complacency, calling on all prospective candidates to act immediately.
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