The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates currently enrolled in tertiary institutions are eligible to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), but must formally declare their matriculation status or risk forfeiting both admissions.
The board made the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, following what it described as widespread misinformation surrounding its registration guidelines.
Benjamin said certain “self-styled education advocates” had deliberately misinterpreted JAMB’s directives, thereby misleading candidates and parents.
“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has been drawn to a misleading distortion of its clear directives to candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE, as contained in the official advertisement,” the statement read.
According to him, such misrepresentations are often driven by individuals seeking online attention rather than providing accurate information.
“Many of these individuals fail to properly read or understand the guidelines before spreading false narratives aimed at attracting traffic to their social media platforms,” Benjamin added.
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He stressed that registering for the UTME or DE while already enrolled in a higher institution is not a violation, but concealing such status is against the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is not an offence for a candidate to register for UTME/DE while still enrolled in an institution. However, failure to disclose such status constitutes an offence,” he said.
Benjamin explained that disclosure simply ensures that once a candidate secures a new admission, the previous one automatically lapses, in line with the law prohibiting multiple admissions.
“No candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently,” he noted.
He further revealed that intelligence reports had shown that some matriculated students were being used as professional examination takers, adding that mandatory disclosure helps the board take swift action when such cases are detected.
Although JAMB’s system is capable of identifying prior matriculation, the spokesman warned that candidates who deliberately fail to declare their status risk losing both their old and new admissions.
The board urged the public to rely only on official guidelines and cautioned candidates and parents against misinformation.
JAMB also reiterated that registration for the 2026 UTME commenced on January 26, adding that only Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres with live monitoring capabilities would be allowed to participate in the exercise.
The policy, tagged: “No vision, no registration, no UTME,” is part of measures aimed at curbing registration irregularities and strengthening the integrity of the examination process.
