The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially opened the sale of 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) forms for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was contained in a statement signed by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on the Board’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday night.
“Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2026/27 academic session,” the Board stated.
Age Requirement
JAMB explained that eligibility is age-dependent, with candidates generally required to be at least 16 years old by 30 September 2026.
Candidates younger than 16 may still be considered, but only after an intensive evaluation. Such underage candidates must have scored not less than 80% in UTME/A-Level, Post-UTME, SSCE, and the exceptional candidate assessment. Their results will only be released after completing the evaluation process.
UTME Registration and E-PIN Sale
Registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, will run from, Monday, 26 January 2026 to Saturday, 28 February 2026
E-PIN vending begins on Monday, 19 January 2026 and ends Thursday, 26 February 2026, with registration closing on 28 February 2026.
Direct Entry Registration
For Direct Entry (DE) candidates, the sale of forms and E-PINs will take place at JAMB State and Zonal Offices from, Monday, 2 March 2026 to Saturday, 25 April 2026
Cost of Forms
JAMB announced three categories of E-PINs:
Direct Entry (DE): ₦5,700
UTME without Mock: ₦7,200
UTME with Mock: ₦8,700
Other fees include:
JAMB Application Fee – ₦3,500
Reading Text – ₦1,000
CBT Centre Registration – ₦700
CBT UTME Service Charge – ₦1,500
Bank Charges – ₦500
CBT Mock-UTME Centre Charge – ₦1,500
Examination Dates
The 2026 UTME will run from:
Thursday, 16 April 2026 to Saturday, 25 April 2026
The optional Mock-UTME is scheduled for:
Saturday, 28 March 2026