- the misinformation stems from individuals who fail to properly study JAMB’s official directives
- JAMB stressed that registering for UTME or DE while still enrolled in another institution is not an offence
- The Board warned that candidates who deliberately conceal their status, risk losing both their old and new admissions
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates already studying in tertiary institutions are eligible to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), provided they clearly declare their existing matriculation status.
In a statement issued on Wednesday,Eko Hot Blog reports that JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the Board was compelled to address what it described as deliberate misrepresentation of its guidelines by some self-acclaimed education advocates. This development has caused confusion among candidates and parents.
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According to Benjamin, the misinformation stems from individuals who fail to properly study JAMB’s official directives but rush to public platforms to spread false narratives, often for personal or social media gains. He noted that such trends usually emerge at the start of every UTME registration cycle.
JAMB stressed that registering for UTME or DE while still enrolled in another institution is not an offence. However, the Board made it clear that failure to disclose an existing admission during registration is a violation of its regulations.
“For clarity and proper record-keeping, and in line with our mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE are required to disclose their matriculation status where applicable,” Benjamin stated.
He explained that disclosure simply means that once a candidate secures a new admission through UTME or Direct Entry, any previous admission automatically becomes invalid. By law, no candidate is permitted to hold two admissions at the same time.
The Board also revealed that recent investigations uncovered cases where some already-matriculated students were being used as professional examination writers. Benjamin said mandatory disclosure helps JAMB take swift action whenever such candidates are identified.
Although JAMB’s system is capable of detecting prior admissions, the Board warned that candidates who deliberately conceal their status risk losing both their old and new admissions.
JAMB urged the public to rely solely on official information, cautioning against misleading online claims from unverified sources, and confirmed that registration for the 2026 UTME began on January 26.
It also reiterated that only Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres that can be remotely monitored will be allowed to participate in the registration exercise, as part of measures to safeguard the integrity of the examination process under its “No Vision, No Registration, No UTME” policy.
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