JAMB Releases Official Guidelines for 2026 UTME Registration

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released detailed guidelines for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), outlining key steps and warnings for prospective candidates. According to the board, candidates must begin registration by sending their National Identity Number (NIN) in the format “NIN followed by the 11-digit number” to either 55019 or 66019 to generate a profile code. JAMB noted that the information retrieved from NIMC through this process cannot be altered.

After receiving the profile code, candidates are required to complete their registration at any accredited CBT centre or JAMB office. The board also emphasized that e-PINs for registration must be purchased only from approved banks, authorised online platforms, or accredited vendors to avoid invalid or fraudulent PINs.

JAMB further advised candidates to confirm that their personal information—such as name, date of birth, gender, and state of origin—matches their NIMC records before their registration is submitted. Any corrections must be done at NIMC first. Candidates are reminded that the phone number and email used during registration serve as unique identifiers and should not be shared or reused.

The board also highlighted common registration problems, including incorrect SMS formats, previously used phone numbers, and NIN verification delays. JAMB warned CBT centres against forcing biometric capture and instructed candidates experiencing such issues to report directly to a JAMB office.

The 2026 UTME registration is scheduled to run from January 31 to March 8, 2026, and candidates are advised to register early to avoid last-minute complications.

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