Bukola Afeni
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the sale of e-PINs for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will close at midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
In a statement issued by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB clarified that while the vending of e-PINs will end on February 26, registration at accredited centres for candidates who have already obtained their e-PINs will continue until Saturday, February 28, 2026.
The Board disclosed that as of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, over 1.5 million candidates had successfully registered for the examination.
“The Board has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, yet registration centres across the country are currently operating at barely 30% of that capacity. This indicates that a significant number of prospective candidates are yet to take advantage of the opportunity to register,” JAMB stated.
The examination body firmly ruled out any extension of the registration deadline, citing the need to align with the national examination calendar.
“The Board wishes to clearly state that there will be no extension of the registration deadline. JAMB operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in Nigeria. Consequently, there is no available window for any extension, even if the Board were inclined to consider one,” the statement added.
JAMB urged candidates not to wait until the final days to complete their registration.
“Candidates are therefore strongly advised to obtain their e-PINs before the vending deadline and proceed immediately to accredited centres to complete their registration.
“Waiting until the last few days may result in avoidable challenges, and the Board will not entertain any appeals for extension after the deadline,” it warned.
The Board stressed that the firm deadline is intended to prevent eligible candidates from missing the opportunity to sit for the 2026 UTME.
“The Board is taking this proactive step to ensure that no candidate who genuinely desires to sit for the 2026 UTME is shut out due to delay or complacency. All prospective candidates are urged to act now,” JAMB said.
