The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has insisted that there will be no extension of the 2026 UMTE registration exercise beyond the stipulated 26th February, 2026 deadline.
The Board in a statement by its Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin informed all prospective candidates and the general public that the pin vending for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will close on Saturday, 26th February, 2026.
“The sale of e-PINs which enables a candidate to proceed to the Centre for registration will end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, 26th February, 2026, while actual registration at accredited centres for those who already procure the e-PIN will cease on Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” he said.
According to him, as of Tuesday, 17th February, 2026, the Board has successfully registered over 1.5 million candidates. He said 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.
The Board wishes to clearly state that there will be no extension of the registration deadline,” he said.
He explained that JAMB operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in Nigeria, stressing that the Board’s registration window is strategically scheduled to allow other examination bodies to conduct their own exercises immediately afterward.
“Consequently, there is no available window for any extension, even if the Board were inclined to consider one. 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,” he said.
He added that 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, urging all prospective candidates to act now.