2026 UTME: JAMB Addresses Possibility of Deadline Extension Amid Low Turnout Nationwide

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has firmly ruled out any extension of the registration deadline for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The board confirmed that:

Sale of e-PINs (required for registration) will end at midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Candidates who have already purchased e-PINs will have until Saturday, February 28 to complete registration at accredited centres.
Despite a relatively low turnout at many registration centres — operating at barely 30% daily capacity — there will be no change to the set timeline.

JAMB noted that the current registration trend shows that many prospective candidates are yet to register, but insisted that extending the deadline isn’t feasible because the UTME schedule is part of a nationally coordinated examination calendar involving other public exams. Altering this timetable, the board said, would disrupt subsequent examinations and planning across examination bodies.

Registration Numbers and Turnout

As of February 17, the board announced that more than 1.5million candidates have already registered for the 2026 UTME.
However, officials expressed concern that most Centres are working below capacity, meaning a large number of eligible candidates have not yet completed their registration.

Board’s Advice to Candidates

JAMB has urged all prospective candidates who have not yet registered to purchase their e-PINs immediately and proceed to accredited CBT centres without delay. It warned that waiting until the last moment could cause avoidable problems, and reiterated that appeals for extension after February 26 will not be entertained.