THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said pin vending for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will close on Saturday, February 28.
The board announced this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by its Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, yesterday in Abuja.
The statement said as of Tuesday, February 17, the board had successfully registered over 1.5 million candidates for the examination.
This year’s UTME is scheduled to hold from April 16 to 25.
The statement reads: “The sale of e-PINs, which enables a candidate to proceed to the Centre for registration, will end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026, while actual registration at accredited centres for those who already procure the ePIN will cease on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
“As of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the board had successfully registered over 1.5 million candidates. The board has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, yet registration centres across the country are currently operating at barely 30 per cent of that capacity. This indicates that a significant number of prospective candidates have 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. JAMB operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examination bodies in Nigeria.”
“The board’s registration window is strategically scheduled to allow other examination bodies to conduct their own exercises immediately afterwards. 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.
“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.”
